Reunion
by Old-El-Grande
Summary: Agent 47 longs for his friends of the past. When he comes back into their lives after 10 years away, his worlds collide...can he reconcile the past with the present, keep his friends alive and come to terms with who he is?


Breakfast Club/Hitman Crossover – The Princess...the Athlete...the Basketcase...the Criminal...and the Assassin...

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the various original characters...the Breakfast Club and Hitman concepts are all owned by their respective copyright holders.

March 23, 1994 – 3:00am - Chicago, IL

With one snap of the wire and a quick cracking sound, the life of James Morris came to a dead end at the hands of the 'legendary' Agent 47. Quickly and flawlessly, 47 had infiltrated the political tycoon's multi story mansion, bypassing his security systems and guards with practiced ease. When the police would come to investigate the following morning, they would find one man dead and another man in the kitchen pantry naked and unconscious, his clothes tossed in a boiling pot nearby. By that time, however, 47 had already disappeared...like a ghost into the mist, no one seeing or remembering anything, and no trace of him left behind...

"Diana, 47." 47 spoke into his laptop's microphone as he sat on his hotel room bed. Unlike the accommodations afforded by the other jobs, 47 found himself in a rather ramshackle looking motel by the roadside.

"Yes, 47...we've just verified the hit. Nice work, as always; the funds have been transferred into your account. I take it that you're now ready for your 'vacation'?" Diana asked. 47 squirmed slightly, but kept his composure. "You've never told me why you want to go back there. I know it's your hometown and that's probably it, but I find it curious." 47 shifted a little more, moving the laptop to a side table.

"Let's just say that I'm not quite ready to give up the only place in the world where I'm not a 'stone cold assassin', Diana. There are memories there, pleasant memories...friends from times gone by. Even if I can only see them from a distance, it keeps me connected to them somehow." 47 replied.

"It sounds like a stalker angle to me, 47, but it's what you want and your vacation time. We have your next job tentatively scheduled in the late fall, so most of your summer is open. Assuming, of course, that something important doesn't arise." Diana said, ready to sign off. "As always, be careful, 47. Friends are a weakness in this line of work, although you've managed well so far. That Russian girl you take care of comes to mind..."

"I will, Diana...take care. I'll speak to you soon..." 47 said, his voice trailing off as he signed off and shut his laptop down. He packed up his few things into his briefcase and lay down to get a quick nap before he hit the road. He had a two hour drive from Chicago to his destination...Shermer, IL.

* * *

><p>As 47 lightly slept, his thoughts drifted back to that spring day in 1984...March 24, 1984. The date was forever etched into his memory. The day he became friends with four of the most wonderful people he ever knew. On that day, they transcended the boundaries of society and their own cliques, forming one of the closest circles of friends that any of them had ever known. That summer, one of their ranks was taken from them...he went missing on June 1 that year and was never seen again. The group came together in memory of him...and they carried on, though he was never replaced in the group by anyone else. Friends came and went, but the Breakfast Club he knew never went away. When 47 completed his training at the ICA academy, he was occasionally able to keep tabs on the group. In 1990, he watched through his Blazer's scope as Bender and Claire were married at Shermer Park in an outdoor ceremony; Andy stood in as Bender's best man, though he didn't spot Allison anywhere. Later, 47 learned that Andy and Allison split up at the University of Chicago after growing apart over time; after the breakup, Allison dropped out and had basically disappeared off the face of the earth. He thought he'd spotted her in Vancouver in 1993, but 47 was unable to catch up to her at the time.<p>

The sun soon arose, and 47 set course for Shermer...about a year after his 'disappearance', 47 learned that his parents had sold their house and moved to Texas. 47 bought the house with the proceeds from his first 'job' and entrusted its upkeep to a local cleaning lady and her son. As the black Audi zipped down the highway, 47's phone buzzed to life.

"47 here..." 47 answered.

"47, Diana..." Diana said at the other end, "Of the names you've given me, only John and Claire Standish-Bender currently still reside in Shermer. Their address is 427 Pineview Dr., a rather posh section of town."

"I know the place...I've been there several times." 47 replied.

"I can't say that I support your course of action in this matter, officially. Unofficially, I believe that you should do what you feel is right, 47. That said, I also have information on Andrew Clarke. He currently resides in Northbrook, about two towns up from Shermer. As for Allison Reynolds, I'm still working on her. She's been missing for over two years now...much like you, 47." Diana said. 47 knew that he'd been declared missing, presumed dead some years ago as well. He hoped that a similar fate hadn't befallen Allison over the years.

"I appreciate all your help, Diana..." 47 said matter of factly. "You've been a great help to me over the years. Especially getting that hit called off of me." Diana chuckled lightly on the other end of the phone.

"I must say, I'm not used to sentimentality from you, 47. But I will take what you say for what it is, and I am grateful. I have you to thank for getting me into the top spot in the agency, after all." Diana said, recalling the events that led to her being appointed as chief of the agency. Not the least of which was 47 assassinating every agent that was sent to take him out and her promise to stop that once and for all. The tipping point was 3 dead agents being shipped in an animal crate back to the agency's door step. She stopped it in her first act as chief: calling off the hit on 47 and Nika Boronina. She subsequently reinstated 47 as a full time agent.

"You should've been the chief from minute one, Diana. You're the only one in charge there that doesn't foul up everything they come into contact with." 47 said, eliciting another laugh from Diana.

"Be that as it may, 47, be careful. I'll keep you posted on any info I find on Miss Reynolds. Remember, if something comes up for you, I'll have to require you to ditch this field trip and come back to work." Diana said.

"I understand...talk to you later, Diana." 47 said, hanging up the phone as he crossed into the Shermer city limits. A few minutes later, 47 turned onto Pineview Drive and soon found himself in front of house number 427. The Bender residence...he recognized it as being Claire's family home, given to her by her father after her parents divorced. 47 parked up next to the curb, grabbed a yellow manila envelope from the passenger seat and headed to the front door.

9:00am – March 24, 1995 – Bender residence

Claire Standish-Bender was finishing up breakfast and rinsing out both John's and her own dishes in the sink when she heard the echoing gong of the doorbell chimes. John had left for work around 7am, so he was probably 300 feet up on a tower somewhere; as she headed to the door, she saw through the translucent glass what appeared to be a tall man in a black suit. As she opened the door, she saw a well built, bald man in a black suit, white shirt and blood red tie. Having an eye for fashion, she deduced that the suit had to be Italian, probably hand made. The man had a stern countenance about him, and ice cold blue eyes...something about this man unnerved her. And yet, something seemed awfully familiar...

47 stood at the front door, hearing the tell tale thumps of footsteps growing louder as they approached from inside. The front door swung open...and there, 47 found himself face to face with Claire. Even in her pajamas, she was still every bit as beautiful as he remembered her to be. He handed her the envelope. "Open that and look at it, please." he said.

Claire took the stranger's envelope and opened it, a curious expression across her features. Inside were two items, a picture and a letter. She looked at the picture and it was immediately familiar to her. It was a picture of her and her closest friends...her husband John and her three friends Brian, Andy and Allison. She looked over at the letter and read it. It was dated March 24...it was the same letter that Brian had written on behalf of everyone in detention that day to Principal Vernon. She noticed something about the letter...it was hand written...everyone in detention that day had received Xerox copies, but the writer kept the original. She looked up at the stranger at her door...

47 watched intently as Claire looked over the items, recognizing at once her expressions of realization and familiarity. As well she should, he thought...both items were of great significance to both of them. He looked into her eyes as she looked up at him, tears brimming in hers as she looked.

"This picture...this letter...where did you get these? Only the people in the picture have copies of these. Where did you get them?" Claire asked, her voice slightly breaking. 47 said nothing yet, but looked at her intently.

Claire asked her question of the mysterious stranger, but he had no answer for her, it seemed. She looked at the picture again, her eyes taking notice of the bright blue eyes of one of the guys there. She looked up at the stranger, then back at the picture, and finally back at the stranger again. Tears welled up in her eyes as realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "Brian?" she asked, her voice cracking. The stranger simply nodded and smiled at her. Claire rushed forward and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder and hugging him tightly. 47 hugged her tightly as well, this moment being everything he hoped it would be. As she let him go, she grabbed him by his gloved hand and pulled him inside.

"Get in here!" she said, closing the door behind him. "Where have you been all this time?" she yelped, hugging him again. It did not escape her how well built 47 was...time and age had certainly been kind to him, she thought. He was certainly a fair way away from the skinny, awkward geek he used to be.

As 47 stood in the house and listened to Claire, he felt like he was home for the first time in a long time. He wasn't sure if he should, or could, tell her what his 'profession' was, so he didn't know how to answer her question. Thankfully, she saved him from it.

"Never mind that, I'm just glad you're back...and alive! We thought the worst when you disappeared in '84. We've got a lot to catch up on...ten years worth!" Claire said. 47 smiled down at her.

"We've got plenty of time for that, Claire. Perhaps over dinner tonight? John, you and myself?" 47 asked. Claire cocked an eyebrow.

"How did you know about me and John?" Claire asked.

"Two ways...one, it's on your mailbox outside. And you just told me." 47 said with a wink. Claire laughed out loud and playfully punched 47 in the shoulder.

"So, Brian...now that you're in town, where are you staying?" Claire asked. 47 had planned on staying at his parents' old house, but didn't think it too prudent to tell Claire about his ownership of the place.

"I was thinking of the Holiday Inn..." 47 said, thinking on his feet. He had no idea if they even had a vacancy. Claire cut him off at the pass.

"Holiday Inn? Hell! You've been gone for ten years...there is no way I'm letting you out of my sight!" Claire said. "I've got a spare bedroom here where you can stay as long as you want. I'll have no discussion over it!" she said. 47 smiled at her again.

"Okay, okay...you've twisted my arm. I'll go get my bag. You wanna come with me?" 47 asked.

"Nah...I'll trust you to come right back. If you're not back in five minutes, I'll send out a search party." Claire said, walking over and opening the front door for him. 47 went out to his car and retrieved his rolling suitcase from the trunk, then came back in. "Guest bedroom is up the stairs, second door on the left. Bathroom is directly across the hall. Get settled and we'll make some plans for dinner. John's usually home around 4, though if I call and tell him you're here, he'll probably jump off whatever tower he's on and break a few traffic laws getting here." Claire quipped. 47 still wasn't sure how the others would take the news of his sudden reappearance, but if they took it the way Claire did, that'd be just fine with him. 47 laughed a little.

"Mind if I get a shower in real quick and get cleaned up?" 47 asked. Claire nodded at him, and with that, 47 headed up the stairs, pulling his rolling suitcase behind him. As 47 ascended the stairs, Claire looked up at him and noticed an odd marking on the back of his head. "A tattoo?" she whispered to herself. She shrugged it off and went into her office. She grabbed her address book, looked up Andy's number and called him.

"Hello?" Andy answered. Claire was almost giddy at what she was about to tell him.

"Andy, it's Claire." Claire said.

"Hey Claire...how's it going?" Andy asked.

"Great...hey, listen, you'll never guess who just came by to visit today..." Claire asked. Andy's heart jumped into his chest, nearly skipping a beat as his mind darted to thoughts of Allison.

"Allison?" Andy asked meekly. Claire hesitated for a second, suddenly remembering that Andy had never really gotten over her.

"Nope...though you know this one equally as well. I'll give you a hint. He's in the picture of all of us in the library." Claire said. Andy grabbed the picture from his desk, the group of friends he'd met in detention ten years ago, and looked it over. Claire said 'he', and the only other guy in the group besides John was...

"Brian? Brian Johnson?" Andy said in shock. Claire stifled a giggle.

"Yup, Brian! He just turned up this morning and knocked on my door. I didn't even recognize him at first. You wouldn't recognize him either, he looks so different! Listen, you need to get over here, like now." Claire said.

"I'll cancel wrestling practice today and get out of here early, that's for sure. I'll be over in about an hour." Andy said.

"Good deal, Andy...get over here as quick as you can. Talk to ya later..." Claire said. Andy said his goodbyes and hung up. Claire looked back to the previous entry in her book: Allison Reynolds. There was a number she hadn't been able to call in years. After they went to college, it was almost like she transformed into a totally different person. She and Andy grew apart and eventually split up. She remembered all the nights that Andy stayed in the same guest room that she'd just sent 47 up to; many nights she would spend up with him as he talked himself through his feelings. Sometimes, she would say that she never got a wink of sleep in '92. She put her address book away...

47 found his room and laid his suitcase on the bed. He stripped out of his suit down to a wife beater tank top and boxers, laying the parts of the suit neatly on the foot of the bed. He crossed the hallway into the bathroom and started the shower. As usual, he placed a pistol on top of the toilet tank near the shower. 47 felt the hot water wash all over his body. In his mind, he tried to reconcile who he is now versus who he used to be. It certainly wasn't like an assassin to have friends. But something inside him, something deep within that refused to die, couldn't let go of the past. He felt that he simply had to come back. After ten years of service, he was eligible for retirement; assassins were allowed voluntary retirement after ten years with mandatory retirement after twenty years due to notoriety and age complications. Ever since he walked through Claire's front door, he felt more and more ready to leave the life of an assassin behind...

Claire made it to the top of the stairs and heard the shower in the guest bathroom running; she went into Brian's room and saw his suitcase and suit laying on the bed. The suitcase lay open on the bed; she noticed another identical suit in the case. "I guess variety isn't your thing, Brian?" she said as she ran her fingers over the suit. "Definitely Italian..." she said as she leafed through the layers of clothes. At the bottom layer, she saw an odd, shiny metallic shape just underneath a pair of shoes. "What the...?" she asked herself, jumping suddenly and shrieking when she felt a hand pull hers out of the case. The same hand then closed the case up. She turned around...

After finishing up in the shower, 47 cut the water off and grabbed a towel from the rack to dry off. He put on his tank top and shorts again, removing the pistol from the bag and tucking it into the waistband behind his back. As he cracked open the bathroom door, he noticed Claire in his room looking through his bag; he slipped up behind her and removed her hand from the bag before closing it up. She turned around to face him.

"Oh, Brian! I was just...uh..." Claire trailed off, suddenly startled at his presence in the room.

"It's okay, Claire...I'm just a neat freak is all." 47 said, snapping the other latch on his case; he certainly didn't want or need Claire to see the contents of his case. He mentally kicked himself for bringing it in and leaving it open, but he didn't trust leaving it out in the car either.

"Oh...okay then..." Claire said meekly, her voice trailing off again. She looked down at her feet, worried that she'd alienated him once and for all. 47 sensed her hurt feelings and tried to change the subject.

"So, how about lunch then?" 47 asked. As Claire started to answer, both of them heard the front door open and close...47 pulled Claire in close to whisper to her. "Are you expecting anyone?" 47 asked intently. She shook her head to say 'no'; 47 released her and held his finger to his mouth to shush her as he moved to the doorway. It was then that she noticed the same odd, metallic shiny shape tucked into his waistband as she'd seen in the case...a gun. As 47 drew it out of his waistband and readied it, a voice called out from below.

"Claire? Where are ya?" a male voice called out. Both of them instantly recognized it: John Bender. 47 put the weapon away as Claire called out in response.

"Up here babe!" Claire called. Loud, fast footsteps bounded up the stairs to the guest room and John Bender soon stood in the doorway, seeing Claire standing in front of the bed. He also noticed the suit draped over the bed and looked up at her, his eyes suddenly intense since he didn't recognize the suit at all. At that moment, 47 stepped out into John's view. Bender looked at the strange bald man, standing there in basically his underwear, alone in a bedroom with his wife. It didn't take long for his mind to race to some not so good conclusions.

"Claire...who is this guy, and why is he in our house? Why is he standing in a bedroom, with my wife, in his underwear?" Bender asked, touches of anger creeping into his voice. He looked over at 47 who looked over at Claire.

"John, this isn't what you think it is...you'll never guess who this is." Claire said. Bender looked at the bald man, looking him up and down. The doorbell sounded and Claire crossed the hall to the nearest intercom.

"Who's there?" Claire asked. Andy's voice replied, and she buzzed the door open for him, telling him that they were upstairs. As the tense standoff between John and 47 continued, Andy came up to Claire.

"So, I'm here, Claire...where's Brian?" Andy asked nonchalantly. At the mention of the name, Bender's eyes went wide. He looked at 47 again...

Bender heard 'Sporto' bound up the stairs, never taking his eyes off the bald stranger for a split second. A tense standoff ensued until Bender heard Andy speak Brian's name outside; suddenly, the stranger started looking familiar.

"Johnson? Is that really you?" Bender asked. 47 nodded at him.

"Yeah, Bender, it's me." 47 said. Bender walked over to him and offered his hand for a handshake, pulling 47 in for a 'bro hug' at the same time. Andy stepped in the room and greeted 47 as well.

"Well, Big Bri...and I can legitimately call you that now. You look like you've been hitting the weights pretty hard." Bender said, noticing how muscular 47 had become over the years. "I gotta say, it's good to see you after all these years. But don't think I'm going to be loaning Claire to you anytime soon. She's all mine." Bender said as Claire walked back in. Claire elbowed him gently.

"Come on, John, you know nothing happened." Claire said. Bender looked over at her and smiled.

"I know that, Cherry..." Bender said, turning his attention back to 47. "Half naked, alone in a bedroom with the hottest woman in Shermer and you still can't seal the deal? Man, we gotta work on your game!" Bender said jokingly.

"I guess some things never change, Bender..." 47 said, turning to look at Andy. "Andy, how have you been man?"

"Good, good. I'm coaching wrestling and weight training at Northbrook Central, that's going pretty good. Our wrestlers won state titles in 4 weight categories last year." Andy said. It didn't escape 47's attention that no one had mentioned Allison, likely because of Andy. He still wore the emerald pendant that she had given him the Monday after detention.

"Why are you home so early, John?" Claire asked.

"Weather's turning bad, I got up to about 200' on the tower and we started getting storm clouds. Lightning reports too. We called it off for today, gonna try it again tomorrow." Bender said.

"So, about dinner...say we make it a lunch date instead? We could hit the Cannonball Diner..." Claire suggested. A tidal wave of memories flooded 47's mind; he'd spent many an afternoon there with the Club, particularly Andy and Allison when they first got together. Sure, he felt like the fifth wheel, but they seemed to be happy to have him along.

"Sounds good..." Andy trailed off, no doubt his mind having wandered back to Allison again.

"Sounds good to me too...but I do need to get dressed, if you guys don't mind..." 47 hinted.

"Oh! Gosh, so sorry...here we've all been reminiscing, and you've been here standing in your underwear. Come on guys, let's get downstairs..." Claire said, herding the other men out of the room, closing the door. 47 ran a hand over his head, processing all of the happenings of the past few minutes. He'd met Bender, who thought that he was doing things with his wife. He'd met Andy, who seemed to be physically here but mentally somewhere else. Claire was pretty much as he remembered her and Allison...well, she was yet to be accounted for. 47 removed the pistol from the waistband of his shorts and placed it on the bed, then retrieved a matching pistol from his suitcase. He put on his suit, making sure all the seams were perfectly aligned, his tie perfect and everything in line as it should be. He took both pistols and tucked him into holsters beneath his jacket, checking to make sure that his fiber wire and syringes were in their proper places. He slipped his shoes on and made it downstairs where the group waited on him.

"Ah, there you are, Brian..." Andy said, looking at him.

"Whoa...big Bri. High roller are we?" Bender said, nudging him. "So that is your Audi out there then. Now we know who's paying for lunch today." The group laughed as they headed out the door, getting into 47's Audi and heading out for lunch at the diner...

Just outside of Chicago, a Cadillac sedan pulled up to a truck stop near a pay phone. A disheveled, nearly emaciated female climbed out of the car after scrounging the seats and cup holders for change. She inserted the change into the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart...after several rings, no one answered. Disheartened and frustrated, she slammed the phone back onto the hook. To her chagrin, however, the phone didn't give her money back.

"Dammit..." the girl said to no one in particular, hitting the phone weakly with her fist before slumping back against its post. Earlier today, her life seemed to be decent, though not perfect...she was dating a new guy. He had a pretty large bank roll and took pretty good care of her. He paid for her apartment, bought her the car she was now driving, and even bought her nice things and treated her well. As long as she put out when he wanted, everything was ok. All of that came crashing down earlier today...

_A voicemail had been left on her phone when she came home. "Babe, I can't make it over there tonight; you can come see me tonight. My place at 6pm; we'll go out to Banderas for dinner." Such invitations were fairly rare, as he always came to her and dinner wasn't usually involved in any case. Maybe he was ready to take it to the next level with their relationship? She cleaned herself up, put on her best sexy outfit and headed out. She decided on getting to his place at 5...perhaps they could work up an appetite before dinner, she thought._

_She arrived at her boyfriend's place a little after 5pm. She let herself into the house and called his name, to no answer. His car was out front, along with some old clunker looking K-car with its trunk open for no apparent reason. As she walked into the kitchen to make herself a drink, she heard the loud blast of a gunshot from the back of the house. She ran to the back door and saw the source: her boyfriend, standing over a now dead man and holding a smoking pistol in his hand. She dropped her drink glass, shattering it on the floor...her boyfriend looked in at her, a savage expression on his face as he raised the pistol again..._

"_Why, hello Allison..."_

She climbed back into the car and drove back onto the highway, heading toward Shermer. It was the only place outside of Chicago that she knew how to get to; she hoped that her boyfriend didn't know enough of her past to track her there. She drove on and on, finally crossing into the city limits.

The four Breakfast Clubbers finished up lunch at the diner, reminiscing about old times and how all of their lives were going. 47 learned that John and Claire were trying for a little one, about Andy's coaching and teaching career. The topic invariably went to Allison, but no one at the table had anything to report on her whereabouts for the last few years. As they finished up, 47's phone buzzed to life.

"Excuse me guys...I have to take this. Business." 47 said, getting up from the table and stepping outside. "47 here."

"47, it's Diana. How are things there?" Diana asked.

"Good. I've met up with Claire, John and Andy; we were just finishing up lunch. A trip down memory lane and all that." 47 said.

"I see...in the interest of the agency, I must ask: do you plan to reveal your profession to your friends?" Diana asked.

"No. It would be better for them if they didn't know about that aspect of my life." 47 said.

"Good, 47. Notoriety in this line of business is not good, as you know. If you do choose to tell them, make sure that they tell no one else. Damage control is expensive these days." Diana said.

"I realize that, Diana." 47 said, slightly irritated at the basic policy lecture. It wasn't like Diana to call for such matters. "Do you have something for me?"

"If you're asking about Allison Reynolds, I may have a lead on her location, but I'm not certain that the information is reliable. I'll keep you posted." Diana said.

"Thanks, Diana...please do that. I need to get back inside." 47 said, ringing off and putting his phone away. 47 stepped back into the diner and paid the $40 tab, giving the waitress a $100 bill and telling her to keep the change. The group came out to meet him.

"Brian, I was only joking when I mentioned you paying the tab...I figured we'd go dutch like we always used to do." Bender said.

"It's cool, Bender. I figure after ten years, I at least owe you guys a meal or two." 47 said, eliciting some chuckles as they climbed back into the car and headed back to Claire's.

The Cadillac turned onto Pineview Drive, parking up outside the Standish-Bender residence. Allison climbed out of the car and walked weakly up to the door; she rang the doorbell and pounded on the door. No one was inside to answer her, however...she collapsed against the door and started sobbing. She'd never felt so alone in her life before. Her boyfriend, whom she found to be a murderer today, was now out for her blood. She knew he was involved in some criminal element, but she didn't think it ran that deeply within him. The look in his eyes as he turned the gun on her replayed constantly in her mind...

_Allison froze on the spot when her boyfriend turned the gun on her...he came in the house and pressed the barrel of the deadly weapon to her forehead, a look of death in his eyes. She squeezed her eyes closed and waited for the shot...instead, he roughly grabbed her face and pulled her close to him._

"_Bad timing baby...it's really too bad, you were my favorite piece of pie. I hate to waste a good piece of ass..." her boyfriend said. The next thing Allison felt was the butt of the gun coming over her head and all went black..._

It was late in the afternoon when the Club finally made it home, having decided to stop off at an ice cream stand and sit around for a while longer. As 47 came up the street, his intrepid eyes noticed the strange Cadillac sitting by the curb; coming closer, he saw a huddled figure sitting by the doorway of Claire's house. He pulled up into the driveway, though the figure did not seem to take notice.

"Stay here for a second, guys..." 47 commanded. He stepped out of the car and approached the figure. "Whoever you are, show yourself." he said, slipping a pistol out of his coat as he approached. The figure revealed her face, a face which 47 recognized instantly: Allison Reynolds. She looked up just as 47 had drawn the pistol and recoiled immediately. 47 put the pistol away again and motioned for the rest of them to come out. 47 made it to her first.

"Allison..." 47 said softly, kneeling down to her level. She looked up at him, tears staining her eyes.

"I know he sent you...you've got me. Go ahead and kill me...just make it quick." Allison said between sobs. It was then that 47 noticed a flower stem tattoo running from the side of her face down her neck; the marking reminded him of Nika. How he'd held the same pistol to her head, hesitating when he noticed the dragon tattoo on her face. He suddenly saw so much of Nika in Allison.

"I'm not here to kill you, Allison. Don't you remember me?" 47 asked, now flanked by the members of the Club. Claire knelt down beside 47, taking Allison's hand in her own.

"Ally, baby...it's me, Claire. He's not here to hurt you. You know him, he'd never hurt you." Claire said. Allison looked at Claire, then back at 47. The blue in 47's eyes was ice cold to her, but it held some familiarity as well.

"Brian? Is that you?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, Ally, it's me. We're all here for you." 47 said, motioning to everyone else. He helped her to her feet and she found herself face to face with Andy. No words were spoken as the two of them fell into each others' embraces, holding each other so tightly that neither of them ever wanted to let go. They stepped into the house and sat down in the living room, Claire rushing to the kitchen to bring Allison something to eat after she said she hadn't eaten in two days. Allison ate furtively while the group sat down with her.

"Ally, where have you been? What's happened to you?" Claire asked, noticing the bruising on Allison's face and how emaciated she looked. Her dress looked like it had been an elegant piece at one time, but it now looked like it had been run over by a lawnmower. Allison looked up at the concerned people sitting around her.

"I've been all over...New York, L.A., Chicago, Miami. My boyfriend and I traveled a lot for his work. I ran from him tonight..." Allison trailed off, her eyes squeezing shut as she recalled her escape. "I saw him...kill a man yesterday. He saw me and came after me. He told me that curiosity killed the cat...before he punched me out. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the back seat of my car, my hands tied up behind my back and two of my boyfriend's guys in the front. They stopped on the side of the road to take a piss. I untied myself and managed to get away from them..." Allison said, burying her face in her hands. Claire came over to the couch to comfort her.

"It's ok, Ally, it's okay...you're safe here now." Claire said, putting an arm around her.

"You don't understand...he's in with the mob or something. He'll find me, I know he will." Allison said, looking around the room. She suddenly realized that she'd put her friends in mortal danger by coming to them. If they found her, whoever she was found with would surely be killed too. "I can't stay here...if he finds you here with me, he'll kill you too." 47 realized that going back to being just 'Brian' was going to have to wait...

"Allison, I need to ask you some questions and I need them answered quickly." 47 said, getting the group's attention. "That car you drove here tonight...where did you get it?"

"He bought it for me a year ago...it's just like the Cadillacs he buys for his workers, just a different color." Allison said. 47's blood ran cold...she was right. She had put them all in mortal danger by coming there.

"Allison, that car more than likely has a location tracker on it if he's in with the mob..." 47 said.

"We'll ditch the car then...take it out of town somewhere and ditch it. I know an old tower site in the middle of nowhere where we can lose it." Bender said. 47 shook his head.

"That won't work now...they'll have seen that the car was stopped here for an extended time. Even if she and the car are not here, they'll come here looking for her." 47 replied.

"How do you know that, Brian?" Andy asked. 47 looked over at him.

"That's a question I can't answer right now, Andy. You just have to trust me." 47 said, turning his attention back to Allison. "When did you get here, Allison? How long have you been in Shermer?"

"I was here for about an hour before you guys came back...I'm not sure though." Allison said, laying her head back on Claire's shoulder. "I'm so sorry guys...I shouldn't have come back here. I've put you guys in danger..." she sobbed.

"Keep it together, Allison..." 47 said. He turned to address the group as a whole. "Alright guys, listen. This is how things are going down tonight. I'm going to go check the car for a tracking device. If it has one, we're going on the assumption that Allison's boyfriend is sending his men for her; if they find her here, they'll kill all of us to get to her. I'm not going to let that happen. I need all of you to take Allison and go to the basement. Lock the door behind you and do not open it for anyone. Once you're down there, turn off the main house breaker. I'll take care of the rest..."

"Brian, what are you saying man?" Andy asked. "You're proposing to take on the mob by yourself? No way man, you need us to help you fight; I'll stay up here and help you." 47 looked over at Andy.

"I work alone, Andy. I can't take them on and watch out for you at the same time." 47 said. "I don't need you to help me up here. You need to take care of Allison right now. She needs you now more than ever." With that, 47 stepped out the front door and scanned the car with a RF scanner tool. It beeped to life near the rear of the car; he peeked down under the bumper and saw the flashing tracker unit. He went back inside, closed the front door and locked it. "As expected..."

"Oh my God..." Claire said, covering her mouth. "They're coming, aren't they?" 47 nodded.

"Get to the basement, now. Don't come back into the house tonight for anything or anyone, even me. When it's over, I'll give you the all clear; go up the stairs through the greenhouse and take Claire's car to my old house. I'll be there after I've finished." 47 said.

"What are you going to do, Brian?" Claire asked.

"What I have to do...no more questions. Go." 47 said. The group got up, Andy wrapping his arm around Allison to help her to the basement. Claire suddenly darted over and hugged 47, feeling the two pistols under his jacket. She now knew what he intended to do...and she now had an idea of who he was. She released her hug as John took her by the hand and led her downstairs. The door closed, followed by the lock clicking closed. Seconds later, the power in the house turned off. 47 looked around and assessed the area tactically, then headed upstairs to get a better vantage point.

In his room, 47 opened his case and removed two silencers for his pistols, fitting them both to the barrels of his weapons before replacing them in the holsters. He removed two smoke bombs from the case and pocketed them. He looked out of the window, checking each end of the street, watching for the hit squad. He didn't have to wait long...

Down in the basement, John uncovered an old couch long since retired down there when they redecorated. Claire and Allison sat down on it while John and Andy found two old chairs. Upstairs, they'd heard the sound of 47's footsteps, then everything went deathly quiet...

"How's Ally?" Andy whispered over to Claire.

"She's alright...for now, anyway. I hope Brian's wrong about that 'hit squad' or whatever he was talking about up there." Claire said. "Guys, I don't know about Brian...when he was talking to us up there, it was like he was a totally different person. His eyes in particular; they were so cold. It was like he could hold you to the ground with only a look...it wasn't pleasant at all."

"Is he military or something now?" Bender asked.

"I don't know...he didn't mention anything. I did notice something peculiar about him earlier when he came in today. Forgive me for checking him out, John." Claire said, smiling wryly at Bender before continuing. "When he went to check the doorway when you came in, I noticed a tattoo on the back of his head. It was black, squarish...looked like a series of vertical lines."

"Bar code..." Allison said, looking up at Claire. "He's not military...he's a hitman." Allison said. The group's jaws collectively dropped as they all looked over at Allison. "When you're dating a guy in the mob, you hear things. I went with my boyfriend to some 'company get-together' in Vancouver two years ago; they were talking about one of their top level guys having been assassinated. They interrogated the only bodyguard that survived; apparently, the hitman took the guy's clothes and disguised himself. He got a look at the back of the guy's head before he passed out. He said the guy was bald and had a black tattoo on the back of his head."

"Oh my god...Brian? A hitman? Our Brian?" Claire said, her voice breaking up from the shock.

"You've got to be kidding, Ally. Please tell me this is one of your 'compulsive liar' moments." Andy said. Allison looked over and shook her head.

"That's what I overheard. A day later, they found the guard dead in the safehouse. Drowned in the bathtub. Four guards watching him 24/7...and the guy still got away without a scratch." Allison said, looking around the room. "If the same guy that did all of that is upstairs now watching over us, the hit squad doesn't have a prayer..." A few seconds later, they heard the front door crash twice before slamming open...

As 47 watched the street, he saw a black Cadillac pull up outside the house. Four men emerged from it, one of whom pointed to Allison's car. He moved into position and waited on them...he'd left the front door locked, but hadn't made it impossible for them to get in...

"Alright guys, let's make this clean and simple. We get Florentino's bitch and we get out; if she's with anyone, kill them dead on the spot. No dramatics, no fanfare, just in and out. If she's not here, we track her ass down." the leader instructed.

"Why don't we just kill the bitch here and now, Gallo? Bring her head back to Florentino, save him the trouble." one of the thugs asked.

"Florentino's orders! He doesn't want her harmed...yet. He wants to do her himself. If she's with anyone, you can cap them any way you want. Let's get in there. Ricci, get up there and bust that door down." Gallo ordered. Ricci grabbed a small ram out of the Cadillac and the group followed him to the door. They found a handwritten note taped to the door.

_Leave now...this is your only warning._

Gallo grabbed the note and tore it up into pieces, throwing it away. He motioned to Ricci. Three blows to the door and it crashed down out of the frame. Inside, they noticed all the lights out.

"Gallo, man...I don't think anyone's here. I don't hear anything and all the lights are out." Ricci said, readying a pistol from his coat.

"Someone's here. They've just cut the power to the place. The lights are out, but that phone and those appliances aren't on either. Power's on down the street too. Someone's definitely here...just trying to hide in the dark." Gallo said, looking around the front room. "Alright guys, here's how it goes. We split up and tear this house apart until she's found. If you find her or anyone else, call out." Gallo ordered two of the thugs to search the upstairs while he and Ricci searched the downstairs.

Upstairs, the two thugs began their search. "Check that room there, Luigi. I'll check this big one down the hall."

"You got it Paulie..." Luigi said as Paulie went down the hall to the master bedroom. Luigi entered the guest bedroom and noticed the open bag on the bed; as he came closer, he noticed the shiny glint of a silver pistol on top. As he reached for it, a silenced gunshot sounded with a thump and Luigi fell dead to the ground. Emerging from behind the door, 47 slowly and quietly exited the room...

Paulie entered the master bedroom and immediately started trashing the place, turning over the bed and kicking in the closet door. All to no avail, as Allison was nowhere to be found. He decided to go into the bathroom to relieve himself. After finishing up, he set his machine pistol on the counter to wash his hands. As he looked up, he saw the face of death standing behind him. Before he could even blink, Paulie felt the thin black wire wrapping around his neck. Seconds later, he was dead, a heap on the bathroom floor. As quietly as he entered, the silent assassin left the room...

Down in the basement, the four friends sat down in the basement, staying as quiet as they possibly could. They could hear footsteps directly above them and the occasional shout or crash across the house from who they assumed was the hit squad sent for Allison.

"What do you think's going on up there?" Andy whispered to no one in particular.

"I think those guys are trying to find us, Andy...and Brian's trying to find them. I swear, I never would've thought in a million years that we'd be relying on Brian fuckin' Johnson to save our lives from the mob." Bender whispered back. From above, things seemed to suddenly go quiet...

"Maybe we should go check it out? Maybe they're gone?" Claire whispered.

"No...remember, we don't move until Brian says it's ok." Andy whispered back. "They're probably up there just trying to bait us out."

"If Brian is who I think he is, those guys are dead if they hang around much longer...I wouldn't be surprised if they already are." Allison said coldly.

"You make it sound like he's a cold blooded killer, Ally..." Claire said, looking over at her.

"If the shoe fits..." Ally trailed off. "Point is, if we go up there and poke around, we'll get killed ourselves. Either by those guys looking for me...or by Brian himself. He told us to stay down here and he meant it. To keep us safe from them...and himself."

"You think he'd kill us if we saw him?" Bender asked. Allison simply nodded.

"Paulie! Luigi! You guys come up with anything yet?" Gallo yelled across the house. No answer from either man. "Paulie! Luigi! Tell me something, say something!" No answer from the upstairs, not even the slightest hint of a noise other than Ricci banging around nearby. "Ricci, get up there and check on those two _cafones_, see what they've turned up." Gallo ordered. Ricci drew his pistol and headed up the stairs as Gallo turned toward the kitchen.

47 dropped a smoke bomb at the foot of the stairs; through the cloud, he shot Ricci twice and felled him at the foot of the stairs. Gallo turned at the sound of Ricci's body dropping and opened fire into the smoke.

"Die motherfucker!" Gallo yelled, firing his machine pistol toward the smoke wildly, hitting nothing but dead air. The smoke cleared a little as Gallo approached the stairs, realizing that Ricci was dead...

"Oh no...Ricci! _Perdoni mi!" _Gallo screamed. 47 slowly descended the stairs, pistol in hand. Before Gallo could get a shot off, 47 shot out both of his kneecaps and dropped him to the floor. Gallo went again for his weapon, but soon found his wrist under 47's foot. 47 took the machine pistol and removed the clip, showing it to Gallo.

"Empty...you should learn to conserve ammo." 47 said coldly.

"Fuck you! Florentino will know of this! You and that bitch of his won't last another moment when he hears about this!" Gallo yelled. 47 tossed the pistol back at Gallo and raised his own, firing another round into Gallo's shoulder. Gallo screamed loudly in pain.

"Now that I have your attention, I've got a message for you to take back to your boss. It's the same one you saw on the door. Leave the girl alone...let her go." 47 ordered coldly. Gallo spit blood up at him.

"Fuck you! You are dead! She is dead! Anyone you've ever known will be dead! You'll get to watch that bitch die right in front of you when Florentino gets to you!" Gallo screamed. The scream was punctuated by a single silenced shot to Gallo's forehead, silencing him forever. 47 heard a noise off to his side and spun his weapon around to face it, coming with a cat's whisker of firing again...when he saw Claire standing in the open doorway to the basement. She collapsed against the doorway, sobbing as hard as she could. 47 lowered his weapon and put it away, coming over to her. He looked down towards her as she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.

"I told you to wait downstairs..." 47 said coldly. He offered his hand down to her; she stood up abruptly and slapped 47 hard across the face.

"You're a fuckin' killer..." Claire spat at him. "One of my best friends in the world comes back in my life after ten years, and he's a fuckin' killer."

"Go back down to the basement, Claire...take everyone over to my parents' old house, like I told you." 47 said, turning around and walking away from her. He headed up the stairs again and all was suddenly quiet. Claire looked over in her kitchen, seeing a dead man laying there...in the same place where not even 12 hours ago, she had been eating breakfast. She heard steps coming up the stairs; she turned and saw John standing there.

"Come on, Claire...we need to go." Bender said. He only called her Claire when he was being serious. Andy and Allison stood at the bottom of the stairs, Andy with his arm around Allison's shoulders. Claire took one last look up the stairs where she last saw 47 before going back down to the basement. They went up the other stairwell quietly and got into Claire's car. Bender drove them away to Brian's parents' house as instructed...

47 stood upstairs in the guest room, watching through the window as Claire's car backed up and drove away down the street. He took out his phone and contacted Diana. After several rings, she answered.

"47, it's almost midnight...what's wrong?" Diana asked, slightly groggy from being woken up.

"Diana, we've had an incident here. I need a cleanup crew in Shermer, 427 Pineview Drive." 47 stated. Stunned, Diana was now fully awake.

"What happened, 47?" Diana asked.

"It seems that while we were trying to find Allison Reynolds, she found us. She brought some trouble with her. She was dating a guy heavily tied in with the mob in Chicago, I caught the name Florentino. She witnessed a murder that he committed and he tried to kill her. She got away from him and he tracked her here. He sent a hit squad after her." 47 said, unscrewing the silencer from his pistol and placing it back in his bag.

"I take it you've dealt with the hit squad then...are your friends alright?" Diana asked.

"They're physically fine..." 47 trailed off, remembering Claire's expression when he realized she watched him kill Gallo. "But Claire witnessed me terminating the last goon."

"That's not good, 47." Diana winced. "So they all know who you are now, for better or worse. Make sure they do not talk to anyone outside their group about this or about you under any circumstances. If this gets out in the open, your next assignment may be them..." It was now 47's turn to wince...the last people in the world he would ever want to turn a gun on would be them.

"There were unsuppressed shots fired tonight and this is a dense neighborhood. It's likely someone heard and contacted the authorities." 47 said.

"It's already taken care of, 47. The authorities have been advised that it was an accidental firearm discharge in the area." Diana said. "Turning to the next item of business, the cleanup crew. Because this wasn't an agency contract incident, the cleanup will be at your cost. What are the details?"

"Four bodies...two upstairs, two downstairs. Shots fired in the guest room and the stairwell. Blood stains on carpets and the guest room wall. Two vehicles to dispose of; both have location trackers." 47 said.

"Alright, 47, I'll get a cleanup team out there within the hour. Go ahead and clear out; tell your friends not to return until after daybreak." Diana said.

"Understood. 47 out." 47 said, hanging up the phone. He removed the other silencer and placed it into his bag. Latching it closed, he grabbed it and headed out the door to his car. He hopped in, started up and drove away to his parents' house.

Meanwhile, the club had set up camp in Brian's house. They all sat down in the living room, which was situated and furnished just the way they remembered it back in 1984 before Brian disappeared. They learned from the caretaker lady that the gentleman who bought the house bought it on the condition that it be left as is with all the furnishings. Claire came in and collapsed onto the couch; it was Allison's turn to try to comfort her as she tried to come to grips with what happened tonight. Bender took Andy into the kitchen to try to find something to eat while they waited for 47 to come along.

"I just can't believe it, Ally...our Brian. I heard what you said earlier, but I didn't want to believe it. But when I saw him shoot that guy tonight...I couldn't believe what I saw. That wasn't the face of Brian that I saw...it was like I was looking upon the face of death himself. That sweet little boy I knew in high school..." Claire said, her voice breaking with each word. Allison pulled her in close to her shoulder and let her cry it out. Bender and Andy came back in with chips, salsa and sodas.

"I guess he's graduated way up from a flare gun, huh?" Bender quipped. All three of the others at first stared hatefully at Bender, but their countenances soon broke and they all cracked up laughing.

"I guess so..." Claire said, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Look guys...Claire, I don't know what you saw tonight and I don't even want to imagine it. But you have to realize that, no matter how he did it, Brian saved our lives tonight. If he wasn't here tonight and didn't have his instincts and skills, we'd all be well on our way to the funeral home. There's no way we could've taken those guys on, even if we knew they were coming." Andy said pragmatically.

"This is all my fault...I brought all of this down on us. I'm still thankful Brian was here to save us, but I wish it didn't have to be. It's gotta be hard on him too; I'm sure he didn't plan on or want to reveal that side of himself to us. It was something that I forced on him." Allison said, turning to Claire. "Claire, if you're going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me. I brought all this trouble and laid it on your doorstep."

"It's alright, Ally. I'm not mad at anyone. What's done is done now...what we've got to figure out, and we'll have to have Brian for this too, is how we're going to get out of this. If those guys were part of the mob, they're not going to stop with one squad. They're going to keep sending them. Brian can't keep fighting them off forever." Claire said.

"We'll have to get out of town for a while, lay low." Bender said. "We'll have to ask him when he gets here."

Outside the home, 47 sat in his car contemplating matters. He knew that he had to get his friends out of Shermer as soon as possible and get them someplace safe. He couldn't persist in watching out for them and eliminate the threat at the same time. His cell phone went off and he answered it, seeing Diana's number on the ID.

"Diana." 47 said.

"47, I have a few updates for you. The cleanup team is on site at the Standish-Bender residence and should be finished soon. Secondly, I've just finished some research on the 'Florentino' gentleman you spoke of earlier. The best match I have is Giacomo Florentino, a small time hood of the Russo crime family. Evidently, Florentino has been making more money than he's giving his 'family' their cut of, and they're not very happy with him. The word is that they may call a hit soon." Diana said.

"Outstanding, Diana, good work. Do you think the Russo Family would be interested in negotiating a contract on Florentino?" 47 asked.

"I've found that crime families like to, as they say, do their own 'wet work'. It could potentially lead to some trouble if an unsanctioned hit was executed without their knowledge or approval. This isn't necessarily a problem for us with our connections and resources, but it would mean some unnecessary hassles." Diana replied.

"I see. It's not like the agency to solicit work for itself anyway. I wouldn't bother with a negotiation with them. Whatever I plan will need to be a set up job or an 'accident'. Can I expect agency support on this?" 47 asked.

"Technically, no, as this isn't an agency contract. However, since I'm the boss here and you're my favorite agent, I can arrange support for you anyway. I'll be in touch when I have a window for the hit. Have you made arrangements for your friends' protection in the interim?" Diana asked.

"That's the next item on my list. I know of a nice vineyard in Napa Valley where I should be able to set them up for a while. It's very safe." 47 said. Diana immediately knew the vineyard in question; several agents had pursued him there and had met their untimely ends before Diana took charge.

"Alright then, it sounds like you've got matters in hand. I'll call you when I have a window on Florentino. In the meantime, be careful, 47." Diana said.

"I will...goodbye, Diana." 47 said, hanging up. He turned the phone back on and made another call...

"Hello?" a female voice with a slight Russian accent answered. The caller ID displayed a restricted name and number, calls she usually didn't answer.

"Nika." 47 said. Nika recognized the voice immediately.

"47! It's been a long time! How are you?" Nika asked, happy to hear from her hitman at long last.

"I'm fine, Nika. Listen, I need to ask a favor of you." 47 said.

"Sure, what is it?" Nika asked, hoping the favor meant him coming to see her or her going to see him.

"I've got some friends here that I need to put up in your villa for a while, for their own protection." 47 said.

"What's wrong?" Nika asked, secretly surprised that 47 actually admitted to having friends. She always had him pegged as the strong, loner type.

"They're in trouble with the mob in Illinois. Don't worry about that, though; I'm handling it. I need to have them stay somewhere safe while I deal with the problem. It shouldn't be long." 47 said.

"My villa is your villa, 47. Can I count on seeing you too?" Nika asked. 47 inwardly smiled a little; it had been a full year since he'd seen her, shortly after the Belicoff incident. It had taken roughly a year before Nika got the hang of running a vineyard and turned it into a profitable business for herself; 47 kept the expenses paid up until the business could support her.

"Maybe. I need to take care of business here first." 47 said flatly. When he said that, Nika knew that 47 wouldn't be coming around.

"Alright...do what you need to, then. Your friends, they'll be coming in by airplane?" Nika asked.

"Yeah...I'm getting them tickets for a morning flight out of Chicago to San Francisco. I'll get a car to get them to your vineyard from the airport." 47 said.

"I've got a car I can send to the airport for them. I'll take care of it, 47." Nika offered. "One day, 47, I want you to tell me your real name. Calling you by a number just doesn't sit well."

"Maybe one day, Nika. One day." 47 said, his mind drifting to how his past and present were colliding in a major way. "I need to go now, Nika...thank you for doing this."

Nika was slightly taken aback; 47 could be polite and charming when he wanted to be, but he didn't often express gratitude. "You're...welcome. Good night..." she said

"Good night, Nika..." 47 said, hanging up the phone. He slipped the phone inside his coat and looked in toward the house. He could see the Breakfast Club sitting in the living room, talking and chatting. Allison looked to be in better spirits, as did Claire. 47 regretted that she had to see what she did, but it couldn't be helped. After watching them for a few minutes, he decided against going in to see them tonight. He first needed to arrange for them to get to safety. He drove away...

6:00am – Johnson residence, Shermer, IL

A loud knocking sounded at the door, waking Bender with a startle. As he approached the door, a yellow manila envelope flew in through the mail slot; he went to the door and opened it, finding no one there. He closed the door again and opened the envelope, finding four plane tickets and a letter inside. The letter was from Brian.

"Guys, get up! Brian's sent something over here!" Bender yelled, rousting the others out of bed. "Guys, it looks like Brian's made arrangements for us." he said as he distributed the plane tickets.

"Napa Valley? California?" Andy asked, looking at his ticket. "Why is he sending us to wine country?"

"I've always wanted to visit there, but I'm with you, Andy. Why would he send us all the way out there?" Claire asked. "No doubt it's for our protection."

"He's probably got a safehouse out there." Allison said. "He probably wants us to stay there until he deals with the problem I caused..." she trailed off.

"This flight leaves at 8:00am guys...we better get going." Bender said.

"What about our clothes, our things that we'll need?" Claire asked. Bender shook his head.

"Brian said specifically not to return to our house until daybreak; we don't have time to get there and get packed anyway." Bender said. "We'll have to pick up some stuff in California."

The group headed out to Claire's car and hopped in; there was another envelope on the front passenger seat. Claire opened it and found $3000 in cash along with another note.

_Here's some money for expenses; there'll be more if you need it. Your contact in Napa Valley is Nika Boronina. Her driver will be waiting to pick you up at the airport. -47_

"47?" Claire asked.

"That must be his code number or something...the world probably doesn't know him as Brian Johnson anymore." Andy said as Bender started the car up and pulled out of the driveway. Allison laid her head on Andy's shoulder in the backseat

"A number...and no name..." Claire whispered to herself. She was starting to lose hope that the Brian all of them knew was gone forever. Claire turned around and looked at Andy and Allison sitting in the backseat; they were cuddled up together and holding each other tightly. Their hands slipped toward each other and seemingly by instinct, they grasped each others' hands and held on. She smiled as she turned back around, reaching over and taking John's hand in hers.

9:00am PST – San Francisco Airport, San Francisco, CA

The four got off of the plane after the flight and wandered around the terminal looking for this driver from 'Nika Boronina'. After some milling about, they finally found a man dressed in a sharp suit holding a sign reading 'Boronina'. The group approached him.

"Hey, ummm...a friend of ours said that a Nika Boronina was to send a driver for us here." Bender said. The driver nodded.

"Yes, that is me. My name is Stephen. One caveat regarding Miss Boronina...she is known publicly as Valeria Petrovsky; other than in private conversation, please try to refer to her with that name. In private, you may use her real name. Come, we'll get you to the vineyard immediately. Your luggage?" the driver asked. The group collectively shrugged.

"I'm afraid we don't have any luggage...we came here on relatively short notice." Claire said. The driver nodded.

"As it was with Miss Petrovsky...you'll hear her story at the vineyard soon, I'm sure." Stephen said. "This way to the car..." he said, ushering them to the car lane where his black limousine was parked. The group climbed in and they set out for the vineyard.

After about half an hour on the freeway, the limo turned onto a short two lane road before turning onto a dirt road. Surrounding the road on both sides were grapevines as high and far as they could see.

"Wow..." Allison said. "So many grapes, so many vines." she marveled.

"Yes, Miss Reynolds...this is the heart of wine country. The world's finest wines are made from the grapes you'll find in this very vineyard. Miss Petrovsky has become one of the world's finest wine connoisseurs." Stephen piped in.

"How do you know our names?" Claire asked.

"Miss Petrovsky briefed me about all of you; it's part of my position as her driver and security consultant. As I understand, she learned of you via a close friend of hers." Stephen said. All of them knew exactly who he was talking about. The car emerged from the grapevine road and parked up outside a huge villa. Outside the villa, a sleek and elegant woman stood in wait for them. Shoulder length dark hair, a flowing white sundress and matching sandals completed her ensemble. Stephen stepped out of the car and opened the back door for the group.

"Here we are..." Stephen said. "Miss Petrovsky, may I introduce Miss Allison Reynolds, Mr. John Bender, Mr. Andrew Clarke, and Miss Claire Standish-Bender." he said, motioning to each person as he spoke their name. She approached each one in turn and offered her hand in a handshake. Bender was hardly able to keep a secret of the fact that he was checking Nika out; this was not lost on either Nika or Claire.

"Charmed to finally meet all of you...please come in and refresh yourselves. We have much to discuss." Nika said, motioning them to enter the villa. "Stephen, if you please, their luggage." Stephen shook his head.

"No luggage, Miss Petrovsky...they brought none with them." Stephen said.

"I see..." Nika said, remembering her own beginnings here. When she first came to Napa Valley, she had only the dress she had on, her fur coat and that red dress that 47 had bought for her in Turkey. "They will need clothing and essentials. We'll all go out to dinner later and shopping after." Stephen nodded at them as he hopped back in the car to park it in the garage; Nika ushered the group into the villa. They all sat down in the main room.

"Alright, I have bedrooms for each of you. I take it that you two are married..." Nika said, pointing to Claire and John. "And you two are as well?" she asked, pointing to Allison and Andy. Allison and Andy looked at each other somewhat awkwardly. "Oh, you are not together? Funny, I usually have an eye for such things...you looked like you were both in love."

"Perhaps we are..." Allison said, looking at Andy. Andy smiled and took her hand into his.

"Very well, you may share rooms then." Nika said.

"Miss Petrovsky..." Claire started, interrupted when Nika held up her hand.

"We are in private here...please call me Nika." Nika said.

"Nika...we'd like to thank you first of all for accommodating us here. This is a beautiful place you have here. Quite possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been, in fact." Claire said, looking around in awe at the villa. "I guess we should start with the obvious. Our friend told us to come here and stay until we're out of danger; I suppose he's told you of our predicament?"

"At length, yes..." Nika said, recalling her most recent conversation with her hitman. "He told me over the phone that some friends of his were in danger and he needed a place to keep them safe. You are safe here, do not worry. My security team here is one of the best that money can buy. Stephen is a former US Navy SEAL and my guards are also military trained security experts. In fact, only 47 himself has ever been able to sneak past them..." The name '47' perked Claire's ears up.

"47...so that's how you know our friend as well. How did you come to know, well, him?" Claire said, not quite wanting to drop Brian's name yet. Nika took a deep, sharp breath.

"It's a long, rather fantastic story Miss Standish..." Nika said.

"Please, call me Claire." Claire said. Nika nodded and continued.

"Claire...I met him in St. Petersburg. Russia. He was there on assignment to kill my boyfriend...well, my owner really. Mikhail Belicoff, then the premier of Russia. Afterward, he was ordered to kill me too. I saw him on the street as I was being picked up by Mikhail's driver, but he didn't kill me." Nika said.

"Wait a minute...are we talking about the same guy here? Tall guy, bald, black suit and a tattoo on the back of his head?" Bender asked incredulously. Nika nodded.

"The very same...Agent 47." Nika said. "Anyway, my driver took me to my apartment and I was told to wait for Mr. Belicoff. I heard about the assassination attempt on Belicoff on the television that night and that he'd survived it. My doorbell went off and there was a flower delivery guy there. I opened the door and there he was..." Nika continued.

"Sounds almost romantic..." Allison said. Nika smiled over at her in amusement.

"Not exactly...see, he grabbed me by the throat and put a gun in my face. He dragged me out to his car and shoved me into the trunk with a dead body in there." Nika said, getting horrified looks from the group. "Anyway, he took me to an abandoned building and tied me to a chair. He asked me a lot of questions about Mikhail, but he didn't seem to believe my answers. Then he said, 'you're of no use to me' and pointed a gun at my head...I realized he was going to kill me. I thought I'd wanted to die up until that point, but when death was there waiting for me..." Nika trailed off, wiping a tear away as she recalled the scene.

"Oh my god...Brian..." Claire said, covering her mouth. Nika's ears perked up.

"Brian, so that's his real name then...interesting." Nika said, a hint of intrigue in her voice. She'd finally learned something about her hitman. "He saw this dragon tattoo on my cheek here." she said, motioning to the tattoo. She also noticed the flower vine tattoo on Allison's face. "Something about it must have intrigued him, as he asked me why I tattooed my face. I told him, and he lowered his gun. He asked me about Mikhail's brother, and I told him all I knew. He put things into perspective for me after that. Both he and I were to be killed that night to cover up the Belicoff incident...he and I are the only ones who know the truth of what happened there. After that night, he kept me safe and protected. Even now, although I've not seen him in a long time, I know he's watching over me."

"Wow...that's a hell of a story, Nika..." Bender said. "Who would've thought that our little nerd Brian would turn into frickin' James Bond over here?" Nika and the others laughed at the quip.

"No...he's much better than Bond...John, was it?" Nika asked, earning a nod from John. "He's a strange kind of man, that much I know. I just wish I knew him better, but he's not exactly forthcoming with details about himself. Hell, I haven't seen him in over a year...I know he's been here at least twice, but he's never let me see him."

"How do you know he's been here?" Allison asked.

"He left me two presents last year, one on my birthday and another on Christmas. For my birthday, he left a little stuffed chipmunk on my bed." Nika said. "He wasn't trying to be cheap; he knew what that particular animal means to me. For Christmas, he left a jewel box with a pendant in the shape of a penguin. He can be very charming when he wants to be."

"And a cold blooded killer other times..." Claire muttered to herself. However, Nika's hearing was very good and she heard Claire's muttering.

"I don't know what kind of man that 47 was back then when he ran with you, but don't think he's a killer without a conscience, heartless as you may think. He's a product of his training and his profession; he's the best in the world at what he does." Nika said, looking over at Claire. "But I like to think I know him as well as you do. I know deep down, he's got a heart of gold. I'm living proof of that. He could've easily killed me, and on several occasions, he should have. But he didn't...in fact, he saved me from a fate worse than death."

"Not to be impolite, Miss Petrovsky...but you and I are not talking about the same guy here. The guy that I know, Brian, was one of the sweetest, innocent and loyal friends that any of us here have ever had. Now, he calls himself 47...he seems to acknowledge his past with us, but he's not the guy that we used to know." Claire said, tears streaming down her face.

"Let me ask you something, Claire...may I call you that?" Nika asked. Claire didn't acknowledge her. Nika continued on nonetheless. "Claire, you witnessed 47 killing a man last night, yes? Why do you think he did that?" Claire looked up at her, but didn't answer her question; she instead buried her face in John's shoulder. "Let me tell you something right now...he did not do that for himself. He didn't do it because it's fun for him or for sport. He did it to save your lives!" Nika suddenly screamed.

"How would you know how I feel? Have you ever actually watched him kill?" Claire stood up and yelled back. Nika jumped to her feet as well.

"Yes, I have! I didn't like it either, but I realize that he was doing it to save our lives! Just as he did last night to save yours! You know what the difference is this time?" Nika asked. Claire shook her head. "This time, his life wasn't on the line! He could've easily abandoned you when that hit squad came for you. He could've fed you right to the wolves, but he didn't. He put his own neck out for you, and you can't even be grateful for it." Nika sat back down, finished talking. Claire collapsed back to her seat beside John and started crying.

"God...I can't do this...I keep seeing it in my head. It keeps replaying in my head, but it's not 47 that I see killing that man. It's Brian, back when I knew him in 1984...I can't take that image of him." Claire sobbed. Nika stood up again and went to Claire, sitting beside her and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"He's a good man underneath it all. We both know that he never intended to expose you to that. That's why he sent me away on the train...and why he sent you here last night. He doesn't want you to have to know that side of him." Nika said.

"Too late..." Claire sobbed.

After seeing his friends off, 47 returned to Claire's house and entered. The cleanup crew had been there and gone already. True to form, they left absolutely no evidence of the previous night's events. The blood stains were gone, bullet holes patched up and painted over, bodies and cars gone without a trace. 47 ascended the stairs to his guest room and took out his laptop. He connected up to the agency's network. A few seconds later, Diana was online.

_Diana – I have a possible window on Giacomo Florentino, though it won't be easy. He's rather flamboyant and frequently goes out in public, but he's always under heavy guard. He also has a wife and two daughters at home. One of our infiltrators has notes on the outside security and we have satellite reconnaissance of his home. He's certainly a paranoid type. Uploading the notes now..._

47 downloaded the information on Florentino to his laptop and started formulating a plan of attack.

_47 – Any known liabilities or possible vulnerabilities?_

_Diana – None that I've been able to uncover, although I will describe the possible window for you. Our infiltrator has a good indication that a ceremony will be held in two days to formally induct Florentino into the ranks of the Russo family. A 'made man', if you will. This ceremony is always attended by high ranking members of the group; it could be a way in, but you'll need to be extremely careful, 47. This is the only time that I know of when Florentino will be out in the open._

47 thought about this for a moment...infiltrating the mob stronghold when security is apt to be at its highest may not be the most prudent method, but it could also be a cover for something else.

_47 – There's a good chance that the ceremony could be a cover for a hit on Florentino as well. Does Florentino know of the ceremony?_

_Diana – Our infiltrator didn't indicate as such; as you say, it could be the real thing or it could be the stage for a hit. I'll try to get more information on it. It'd work out nicely if they did the work for you._

_47 – It would certainly relieve my friends of their problem as it relates to him, yes. Does our intelligence indicate that anyone besides Florentino is interested in Allison?_

_Diana – The intelligence doesn't state as much, though our infiltrator happened to be in the room when he found out about the disappearance of the hit squad he sent to Shermer to get her. Florentino was extremely upset when he found out that his men had quite literally disappeared off the face of the planet. He vowed revenge, of course, but he has nothing to go on at present._

_47 – He will soon..._

47 signed off and studied the reconnaissance information, forming and calculating a plan for infiltration.

The club found their way to their rooms in Nika's villa; while John and Andy both took quick showers, Allison and Claire sat down and talked.

"You know, you seriously overreacted down there, Claire." Allison said. Claire gave her a hateful look. "Don't give me that look honey...it's no small wonder that she didn't throw us all out on the street after that."

"I'm sorry, Ally...but I can't accept this. I can't accept Brian being '47'." Claire said.

"Is it that you don't think he's the same friend you used to know...or are you afraid that he's going to turn that gun on you someday?" Allison asked.

"Both. He did turn that gun on me...and I really thought he was going to kill me last night. It was like I was face to face with the grim reaper himself. He turned that gun on me and it was like I could see his finger move on the trigger..." Claire said, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Right or wrong, that was his instinct...a reflex." Nika said, walking into the room and overhearing.

"Maybe I should go, let you two talk in private." Allison suggested, standing up. "Let me know when you want to go out, Nika." Nika nodded at her and turned her attention back to Claire as Allison left the room.

"So, Claire..." Nika said, sitting down on the bed next to Claire. "I believe we started off on the wrong foot today. Would you like to start over and talk about this?" Claire looked over at Nika.

"Nika, I can't accept Brian like this, I can't take it. I keep seeing him with that gun turned on me. I can't wrap my head around one of my dearest friends being a hitman." Claire said, her voice breaking up.

"You and Brian, you were good friends growing up then?" Nika asked.

"We became close in a short time, yes. All of us did after that day in March. How well do you know him, Nika?" Claire asked. Nika shrugged her shoulders.

"Not as well as I'd like to, unfortunately. Ours was what you could call a 'whirlwind' relationship. Hell, the reason we met was a setup to kill him. I like to think that we became close in the short time we knew each other, but he's so hard to figure. I haven't actually seen him in a year." Nika replied.

"That's where we differ, Nika. You know Brian as the hitman, this '47' guy. I don't know him that way." Claire said, wiping a tear away. "You would probably laugh yourself silly if you knew him back then compared to the way he is now."

"He was really that different?" Nika asked, pulling herself up to the head of the bed to get comfortable.

"He was such a geek. Don't get me wrong, he was a sweet, loyal friend to all of us; out of all of us, he was by far the most loyal. But he was also the dictionary definition of geek, so awkward at times. Allison and I..." Claire laughed, hardly believing she was telling this story. "Allison and I, we used to kinda use Brian as a test subject...when we wanted to know if a particular outfit or look worked for us, how sexy it was or wasn't, we'd call Brian over. We would gauge his reaction to seeing us...so funny at times to see his jaw hit the floor or...you know...that." Claire said, looking down between her legs. Nika burst out laughing.

"You're right...that is hilarious!" Nika laughed out loud. "That's so bad though, teasing a poor boy like that." Nika wished that she could've had that effect on him back in Istanbul.

"I know, but we couldn't resist...and there were times that he could make us feel sexy even when no one else could." Claire said, thinking back to the past.

"I would've liked to have known him then...maybe I would've had a shot at him." Nika said wistfully.

"What do you mean, Nika?" Claire asked curiously.

"Well, let's just say he's not easily seduced now..." Nika said, piquing Claire's curiosity. "I guess you could call it our second date...we went to Istanbul for a 'job'. He took me out to dinner at this really nice place; he bought me a really nice red dress for the occasion. Well, we're sitting at the table talking and I find out how observant he is. He knew everything going on around him, the soup of the day, what people in the restaurant were wearing, the table layout, even the color of my underwear..." Nika said, biting her lip. Claire's eyes went wide.

"Oh my gosh...Brian, the smooth operator." Claire said smiling.

"Sadly, the evening got interrupted when he was 'called to work'." Nika said, finger quotes around the word 'work'. "He came back and dragged me out of the place rather unceremoniously, and we went back to our hotel. I tried my hardest to seduce him, right then and there. But I was drunk out of my mind, and he knew it. Even though I tried like hell, he wouldn't take advantage of me. I must've passed out on top of him, but when I woke up, I found that he'd put me in bed and covered me up."

"He always was a gentleman." Claire said. "Even though Ally and I pushed him at times, he never once threw himself at any of us, and not just because we had boyfriends."

"Come on...there's much more to discuss, but I'm positively starving. Dinner should be ready any minute now if Santino is on schedule tonight. Do you like Italian food?" Nika asked.

"Love it!" Claire said. "Let's get the rest of the entourage and head downstairs then." Claire and Nika stood up and walked out the bedroom door to get the rest of the group together and downstairs for dinner.

Allison stepped into the bedroom that she and Andy had been set up in by Nika. Andy wasn't there, but his clothes were laid out on the bed and she could hear the shower running. She sat down on the bed and picked at Andy's things on the bed. She picked up his shirt, brought it to her nose and inhaled the scent.

"After all this time...he still smells the same..." Allison sighed, the familiar scent taking her back to the first time she caught it on his jacket on that Saturday. She sat back on the bed with the shirt in hand, holding it tight against her. Her reverie was interrupted by Andy who peeked his head through the bathroom doorway.

"Um, Ally...I've gotta get my clothes...would you mind?" Andy asked sheepishly, steam from the bathroom pouring out through the doorway where he stood.

"Andy, you know...we've seen each other naked plenty of times." Allison said with a wink. Andy smiled over at her.

"It's been a while, Ally...some bits and pieces may not be in as good of a condition as they used to be back then. I wouldn't want to ruin your image of me." Andy said with a smile.

"If you have to, wear your towel...I don't bite. Unless you want me to." Allison said with a smile. Andy smiled back again and stepped out into the room with a towel over his waist. Allison noticed that he was even better built now than in high school. Like Brian, age had certainly been kind to him. "You sure you won't reconsider?" she asked as Andy started picking up his clothes. She stood up and turned around with her back to him, then unbuttoned her shirt and let it slip down past her shoulders; she turned her head to peek at Andy. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours..."

Andy's reaction left little to nothing to the imagination as Allison looked him over, noticing the rather prominent tent that he'd pitched under the towel. Before things could really get out of hand, a quick knock sounded at the door and Claire and Nika came in. Claire covered her eyes while Nika stood there with a smile on her face.

"Oh God!" Claire yelped, shielding her eyes from the sight while Nika simply stood there with a huge grin on her face. "Get a room you guys!"

"Ummm, we did Claire...and you're in it..." Allison said as Andy tried in vain to hide himself without losing his towel completely. Allison rebuttoned her blouse as she spoke.

"Dinner's in a few minutes you two...I don't mind what you do between now and then, just don't make a big mess while you're at it. Come on, Claire..." Nika said with a wink as she ushered Claire out of the room. Andy finally grabbed up his clothes and situated himself.

"What the hell's going on Cherry?" Bender asked, coming out of the opposite guest room as Claire and Nika left the other room.

"It's Andy and Ally...you'd never believe me if I told you..." Claire said. Nika and Claire smiled over at John.

"What, are they in there screwing or something?" Bender asked.

"Something like that...let's get downstairs and leave them to it..." Nika said, leading them downstairs.

"That was completely awkward..." Andy said, finally fixing his towel and went into the bathroom to start getting dressed. He came back in wearing his boxers and jeans. Allison looked at him and bit her lip.

"They did say we had a few minutes..." Allison said suggestively, unbuttoning one of her blouse buttons again. Andy glared over at her.

"Don't you think you're pushing it a little too hard?" Andy asked sternly as he buttoned his jeans. "I mean, we haven't seen each other since college...we've got the mob on our tails and one of our friends turns out to be a hitman...I think right now might be a little too soon for that."

"The mob's on MY tail, not yours..." Allison said coldly, laying back down on the bed and turning her back to Andy. "I shouldn't have even come back...I should've just kept running, let them catch up to me and blow my brains out..." Andy sat down on the bed behind Allison and let his hand rest on her shoulder.

"You don't mean that..." Andy said, his blood suddenly running cold at the thought of losing her. "You did what you thought you needed to do. You did the right thing."

"Did I? Let me ask you something..." Allison said, turning around to face him. "What if Brian hadn't come back that day? Or at all? What if he wasn't a hitman? Where do you think we all would be?" Andy looked away for a second and back at her.

"I don't know, Ally...I don't know." Andy said. Allison smiled coldly up at him.

"I know what it would've been. Brian would've been the only surviving member of our little 'Club'. He might've avenged us when he found out, but it would be too little, too late. I could've gotten you guys killed because of my screwups!" Allison said.

"But you didn't...you've got another chance at life, Ally." Andy said.

"Ironic...a man who makes his living taking lives is the one who saved mine. It's funny when you think about it." Allison said.

"Ironic, yes...funny, not really. The thought of losing you is not the least bit funny, Allison." Andy said seriously. Allison sat up on the bed and looked at Andy.

"Andy, how can you look at this..." Allison said, motioning to herself all over, "...and say that? I'm a complete and utter wreck. I've turned into street trash, I was a mobster's whore for the longest time...how can you even look at me?" she said, breaking down into tears.

"It's because I love you, Allison...I realized that when you came back and now I know I always will. I don't care about what you were before now. As far as I'm concerned, you're still the same girl I fell head over heels for in 1984." Andy said, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "I see that girl in your eyes every time I look at you." Allison smiled at him and wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"I love you too, Andy..." Allison said as they fell into each others' arms and kissed deeply for the first time in years. A light knock sounded at the door as they broke their kiss.

"Dinner, you guys...come on!" Claire said from outside the door. The two smiled at each other again as they headed downstairs.

Dinner tonight was grilled spicy chicken and spaghetti, one of Santino's specialties and one of Nika's favorite dishes. As Andy and Allison came down the stairs, they found Claire and Nika setting places at the table while Bender was already seated.

"Hey guys..." Andy said as he and Allison found seats at the table next to each other. Bender looked over at them with a smug grin.

"Well, hello there lovebirds...glad you could finally join us. I trust your appetites have been worked up now?" Bender said jokingly, earning himself an elbow jab from Claire as she passed by setting the plates.

"Wouldn't you like to know? I'm a nympho, right?" Allison replied teasingly. She leaned over and kissed Andy on the cheek before turning her attention back to the conversation. Nika looked over at Allison and saw the flower vine tattoo on her cheek again; she made a mental note to ask about it later on. As Nika came to the table, Santino peeked in from the kitchen and indicated that the meal was coming very soon. Nika sat down and started the conversation.

"Alright...I've waited long enough. I want to know all about you guys...and maybe some about our 'mutual friend', if you would." Nika said, taking a sip of wine. Bender was the first to speak up.

"Well, you know we all met back in 1984 in high school detention. Me, I pulled a fire alarm in the middle of third period and got busted by that shithead Vernon, God rest his soul." Bender said, making a cross over his chest before continuing. Claire looked at him hatefully. "What? Hey now, he and I never saw eye to eye even once, but I'm not happy the guy's gone. But his being gone doesn't change my opinion of him...anyway, I pulled the fire alarm and got busted. I managed to land myself in detention after that for the rest of the school year." Bender laughed to himself as he thought about it. Claire was the next to speak up.

"I ended up there that Saturday for cutting school to go to the mall in Northbrook. I knew I should've just cut the rest of the day, but dummy me felt the need to get back to school; I wanted to show off my new clothes, but Miss Jameson was watching the parking lot when I came back and nailed me." Claire said with a smile, looking over at John. "If anyone had told me before that day that I would be meeting my future husband in detention...and that it would be John frickin' Bender...I would've called for the padded wagon." Claire laughed, jabbing Bender with an elbow. She looked over at him. "Love you babe..." Bender smiled over at her in response.

"I didn't do anything...I came because I had nothing better to do that day." Allison said as the food finally came out.

"Bon appetit!" Santino said in an excited voice. He was always the peppy sort and could always be counted on to bring some life to a room. "If you like it, it was all my own idea and cooking...if you don't like it, she told me to do it!" he said, pointing at Nika and laughing. Nika nearly did a spit take as she pointed up at Santino.

"You'd better watch it or I'll have you back cooking at the grease diner!" Nika exclaimed jokingly. Santino laughed out loud as he sailed back into the kitchen. "I'm sorry Allison, you were interrupted...you were saying?"

"I was pretty much finished...I didn't do anything to get detention, but I came anyway because I had nothing better to do." Allison said. Nika laughed a little.

"Okay then...Andy?" Nika asked. Andy shrugged a bit.

"I was there because I taped a guy's buns together..." Andy said sheepishly. Nika burst out laughing in between bites.

"Wait a second...you TAPED someone's buns together?" Nika said laughingly. Andy simply nodded at her.

"Yeah...I was in the locker room and I saw this guy...Larry was his name. Kinda skinny, weak...and I just felt this overdriving urge. Before I knew it, I'd jumped him and I wailed on him. The other guys cheered me on; they had no idea why I did that. Then I took tape and did that to him...when they pulled the tape off, most of the hair came off, some skin too..." Andy recalled, the memory still stinging. The mood at the table suddenly fell to a hush.

"Wow..." Nika said, suddenly feeling terrible for laughing. "I'm sorry I laughed...I didn't know this was a painful memory."

"It's alright...anyway, that's how I ended up there that day. Some years later at college, I ran into Larry and I apologized. I could tell it still hurt him to think about that, but he said he forgave me. I'm just not sure I ever forgave myself for it..." Andy said. Allison slipped an arm around him and gave him a hug.

"You're an interesting group, that's for sure...I can see why 47 liked to run with you." Nika said. Claire looked over at her.

"Nika, I don't wanna be rude, but could we refer to him as Brian instead of '47'? I'm not really comfortable calling him that..." Claire said. Nika nodded over at her.

"Brian it is, then...now, I wanna know something. How did Brian end up there with you guys?" Nika asked. Bender perked up and looked around the table.

"Let me tell this one guys...please?" Bender asked, getting nods from around the table. "Alright, big Bri...well, he was there because a teacher found a gun in his locker, ironically right after we came back inside after I pulled the fire alarm." Bender said. Nika went wide eyed.

"A gun? Why?" Nika asked in shock. Bender continued on.

"I'll give you a little background on it so that it'll make more sense. Apparently, he was taking a shop class to help his grade point average and he was failing the class. The class project was a lamp and his didn't work, so the teacher gave him a F. I don't know how he must've felt, but it had to have been awful for him to consider suicide like that." Bender said, Nika looking a little more shocked than before. "Here's where the wheels fall off...when we came back inside from the alarm, the gun went off inside his locker and set fire to everything in there. It turns out that he'd brought a flare gun." Nika suddenly found herself fighting to suppress a burst of laughter, even though everyone around the table was smiling.

"Oh my gosh! A flare gun? You're telling me that the world's greatest assassin fucked up with a flare gun?" Nika said, the laughter threatening to burst through with each word. "The legendary '47' did that? I'm sorry, I know that shouldn't be funny, but it is..." By now, everyone was laughing, mostly at Nika's incredulous reaction to the story.

"That's the story of big Bri...blew up his locker with a flare gun. It worked out good for me though...in exchange for helping me pass English, I helped him pass shop class. He taught me Shakespeare, I taught him everything he knows about electricity and wood shop." Bender said with a cheesy grin. The conversation continued in bursts as the group started eating in earnest, talking some about Brian as well as where their lives had taken them over the years.

"So, Nika...it sounds like you're really into Brian..." Allison said, looking over at Nika.

"You could say that...I can't say I liked him that much when we first met, but he definitely grew on me. He was far and away better than the guy I had." Nika said, sighing a bit. "You know your life is totally fucked up when you find that a hitman is the only thing standing between you and certain death...and to top it off, you fall in love with that hitman. To my credit, I think I might've broken through his shell a little bit ."

"Yeah..." Allison said wistfully. "I find myself in a similar position. I'm the reason that he sent us all here to stay with you. I'm on the run from my boyfriend in the mafia...and yes, my life was fucked up."

"We have a great deal in common, Allison." Nika said, motioning to the dragon tattoo on her cheek. "What's the story behind the tattoo, Allison?" Allison sighed a little as she turned to look at Andy for a few seconds before looking back at Nika.

"I got the vine tattoo after Andy and I...split up." Allison said, her voice breaking a bit. "Every year that I was on my own and on the road, I got a flower tattooed onto the vine. I've got one spot left on the vine now." Allison pointed to the bottom of the vine near her jawline before continuing. "This spot I've left for the end of my journey...when I find the end of it, when I find happiness, that last flower will symbolize it." Allison turned to look at Andy who was looking right back at her intensely. Both Claire and Nika dabbed at their eyes, wiping a tear away.

"That's a beautiful story, Allison...it really is." Nika said. "This dragon has a dual meaning for me. At first, it was a symbol of rebellion against my boyfriend...anytime I did something that he didn't approve of, he would beat me severely. I had a tattoo on my back once and he whipped me. Right over my back too, made the tattoo wound even worse; I had to have it surgically removed. After some time had passed, I had this dragon tattooed on my face; I knew it was the only place he wouldn't hit me. Now, it's a reminder of 47...err, Brian. It makes me think of him...it was one of the first things he noticed about me and the last place I felt his touch..."

"Wow..." Allison said in awe.

"Come on, it's getting late. We need to get out and get you guys some clothes and things..." Nika said, hopping up from the table. The rest of the group stood up and headed out the door with her.

After dinner and coming back from taking 47's friends around to the shops to find some clothes, Nika was exhausted. As she stepped into her bedroom, she noticed that the air had become a little heavier, like something was amiss, though she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Nika..." a deep, familiar masculine voice said from behind her. Any other time, such a voice would've had Nika jumping out of her skin. She immediately knew the source of the voice and turned to face it.

"47." she said, smiling over at him. Truly, he was the only man she knew that could so easily slip past her security...both her physical security guards in the vineyard and her own mental security. He stepped toward her and pulled her into a hug; this both surprised and pleased her.

"Wow...this is unexpected." Nika said, smiling up at him. "To what do I owe your presence?"

"I came to check up on the guys...and you. How are you all holding up?" 47 asked. Nika sat down on her bed and pulled her shoes off as she spoke.

"They're alright, for the most part. The redhead, Claire, she's a bit of a drama queen. She's quite hung up on you. She can't seem to accept who you are." Nika said. 47 nodded and paced the room a little.

"She saw me kill a man in her house no more than 24 hours ago...I told her and the rest of them to go to the basement and stay there. She didn't listen and nearly got herself killed." 47 said, suddenly looking intensely at Nika. "She came up into the house as I took out the last member of the hit squad...and I nearly killed her." Nika came up to him and ran her fingers down his right cheek.

"If this story's sounding familiar to you yet, feel free to speak up..." Nika said, smiling at him. "You've had that gun turned on me several times and I'm still here, even after times that you should've used it. I've learned how to accept you for who you are, 47...she will too. I don't like it, but I accept it. Give her some time to come around to it. She has a little more to overcome than I did; she knew you before you were '47', so she has that to put together too."

"How much has she told you about my...former life?" 47 asked.

"Not much, actually. I overheard her call you 'Brian', but that's been it." Nika replied. She stood up and crossed the room to be next to him. "I never pictured you as a 'Brian'; maybe as a 'Timothy' or 'Michael', perhaps, but not 'Brian'. I like it better than your number, anyway." His former name sounded foreign to him nowadays. "Do you mind if I know of your past?"

"No, not really, but there's not a lot to tell." 47 said. "Other than meeting them, there's not much about it that's terribly interesting."

"Really? Well...I wasn't going to mention this, but over dinner, they told me of how you guys met that Saturday. And specifically, how all of you came to be there in detention that day..." Nika said, trying to suppress a smile. It was 47's turn to be embarrassed.

"Oh...they told you that?" 47 said flatly, trying not to give anything away on the chance that she was trying to bluff him.

"I take back what I said in Istanbul about you being so very good with firearms. Sounds like you still need to learn to handle a flare gun...Brian." Nika said, slipping up in front of him and kissing 47 lightly on the lips before he could protest. She slipped past him and went over to her dresser to pick out something to sleep in.

"I've learned a little bit since then..." 47 said, a slight smile on his face as he absorbed the embarrassment. "But that was another lifetime...I have to go now, but I'll be back soon."

"How soon is 'soon'?" Nika asked, turning around. However, 47 was no longer there...the spot where he stood was empty, as though he were never there. Nika sighed to herself and headed into her private bathroom to change into her nightclothes. "One day, he won't disappear on me..."

Florentino came home to his mansion, a short distance away from the Russo compound. He'd just come away from a rather tense standoff with old man Russo regarding some of his business 'dealings' and how the books weren't matching up with his contributions. Such things that could adversely affect his advancement in the family ranks, Russo stated. Florentino stepped through his front door and was greeted by his wife with a warm hug and kiss. In her hand, she held a rather thick manila envelope.

"Honey, the delivery guy dropped this off for you...said to make sure that you get it as soon as possible." Carmella, his wife, said as she handed him the envelope. On the front was a prominent red label reading 'PRIVATE'. Florentino took the envelope from her and kissed her again.

"Be back in a bit..." Florentino said, heading into his private office and sitting down at his desk. He opened the envelope with a nearby knife and dumped the contents out onto the desk. In the envelope was a stack of 8x10 photographs and a cell phone. He thumbed through the pictures. The top was a picture of his former, 'soon to be dead' bitch, Allison. He looked at the next pictures and what he saw would've chilled any man to his bones. A series of pictures, evidently taken through the sights of a rifle scope, depicted himself in various locales squarely in the sights of the rifle. The next picture depicted his wife in the same crosshairs, followed by a picture taken inside his house, including one of his own bedroom while he and his wife slept. He exploded into a rage and flung the pictures across the room. It was then that he noticed at the bottom of the stack a small, gold charm bracelet that belonged to his eldest daughter.

"FUCKING FUCK!" he yelled. "Who does this shit?" he said, picking up the phone. "Wait...this is Gallo's..." Florentino said, looking the phone over. As he did, the phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed an 'unknown caller'. He answered it.

"Yeah?" Florentino said.

"Giacomo Florentino...I see that you've received my package." a voice said on the other end. Outside the house, 47 sat in his car on the other end of the line.

"Who the fuck are you?" Florentino yelled.

"Unimportant. What is important is how this conversation ends. As I warned your hit squad in Shermer, I offer you the same warning. Leave Allison alone. Forget her and never think of her again. Your hit squad failed, and if you persist, so will you." 47 said. "I encourage you to heed my warning for your own sake, and your family's."

"FUCK YOU!" Florentino screamed into the phone. He took the pictures, then tossed the whole lot into his fireplace and watched them burn. "Do you know who the fuck I am? That bitch...I'm gonna fuckin' kill her, and I'm gonna do it ugly. She might've gotten off with a bullet to the back of the head before this, but now...she's fucked up as soon as I get my hands on her...and you! You'll get to watch the whole thing before I cut your fucking balls off and feed them to you!"

"The choice is made then, Florentino...I will be seeing you soon." 47 said coldly. He disconnected the call. Inside the house, Florentino yelled into the dead air before throwing the phone into the fireplace with the rest of the pictures.

"Honey, are you alright?" Carmella asked tentatively, stepping into Florentino's office. She was met by a mask of rage and disgust.

"FUCKING BITCH!" Florentino yelled again, oblivious to his wife's presence as he stomped around the room.

"What 'fucking bitch' are you talking about, Giacomo?" Carmella yelled, getting her husband's attention.

"What the hell are you doing in here? You're not supposed to come in here! You know this!" Florentino yelled, stomping over and slapping his wife hard across the face, sending her to her knees. As she tried to get back up, Florentino pushed her out the door and sent her crashing into the wall hard. The door slammed behind her and locked. Carmella stood up and kicked the door repeatedly.

"Screw you Giacomo Florentino! I'm leaving!" Carmella yelled through the door. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed her purse, then ran out to her Mercedes in the driveway. She hopped in, started the car up and sped away. To where, she wasn't sure...but she had to get out of there. "Thank God the kids are at school..." she said, formulating a plan to get them and get away from him. She was interrupted by her cell phone going off. The caller ID stated 'unknown'. She answered the phone.

"Carmella Florentino, please do not hang up." 47 said.

"Who the hell is this? How do you know me and how did you get this number?" Carmella asked impatiently.

"Who I am is unimportant right now. Check the inside of your glove box." 47 instructed. He heard the tell tale click of the glove box lid opening and a sharp intake of air from the other end.

"Cash?" Carmella asked bewilderedly.

"Yes, there's $10,000 there. There's another $90,000 waiting for you, but you must do something for me first." 47 said.

"Hey, I'm not that kind of girl..." Carmella said.

"Nothing like that..." 47 said derisively. "I want you to leave town for the next three days. Take your two girls, head out of state and stay there. Do not contact your husband, do not return home for any reason."

"Why not?" Carmella asked, suddenly afraid that this anonymous caller knew so much of her and her family. She pulled her car over to the side of the road.

"You should not be present to witness what will take place in your home tomorrow night." 47 stated.

"I already know what's going to happen. Giacomo's supposed to be 'made' with the Russos, whatever the hell that means. I guess that means he won't have to be their bitch anymore." Carmella said sarcastically.

"The 'made man' ceremony is likely the cover for a hit that's been called on him. If you or your children are there, it is highly likely that you all will be killed as well for being witnesses. In the event that the Russos don't have a hit planned, I do." 47 said.

"Oh my God...Giacomo...what have you done?" Carmella said, putting her hand over her mouth.

"Stay away from the house, avoid contact with your husband and you'll be fine. After this is over, you may do as you wish with the balance of the money I have promised. I will advise you of the location when the three days have passed." 47 said.

"What if I say no?" Carmella asked tentatively.

"You have a choice to make here, Mrs. Florentino. You can choose a better life for you and your daughters, or you can choose no life at all. If any of you are present in the house tomorrow night, you will be killed. Either by the Russos...or by me." 47 said coldly. Another sharp intake of air from the other end let 47 know that his words had the intended effect.

"I'll do as you say..." Carmella said.

"Good choice...our next contact will be in three days. I'll send you the location of the balance of the cash. You may then collect it and do as you wish from there." 47 said, hanging up the phone. Carmella sat by the roadside for a few minutes to collect her thoughts...

11:00pm – The Russo mansion

Florentino stood alone in the library at the Russo mansion; a wide, expansive room with collections of books dating well back through the 17th century. He was dressed in his finest suit and shoes, feeling himself well prepared for his formal induction. Two knocks sounded at the library door and Florentino turned around. Paulo Bertone, Russo's most senior man and consigliere, stood there.

"Come, Giacomo...the boss is waiting." Paulo said calmly, motioning Florentino over. Florentino straightened his tie and went with Paulo. Outside, a black Cadillac with dark tinted windows sat at idle in the driveway. Both of them sat in the back along with two of Russo's capos.

"Gentlemen." Florentino greeted them as the car pulled out of the driveway. From a distance atop the roof of an office building, 47 watched the entourage through his rifle's scope. Another car, a black Mercedes, sat parked in Florentino's driveway. It arrived shortly before the car that picked up Florentino took off. John Russo along with his escorts entered the Florentino home. Outside security was relatively light, save for a few cameras that would not be picking up anything tonight, as 47 had already disrupted their signals. As the car pulled into the Florentino driveway, 47 packed up his rifle and headed toward the house...

Florentino, Bertone and the two capos emerged from the black Cadillac. "Right this way, Giacomo..." Bertone said gently, ushering him toward the front door. The two capos flanked him on each side with Bertone following from the rear. They entered through the front door, and as the door closed, Florentino noticed that the only light in the house at present was provided by candles. Candles were lit on the tables in the room as well as a prominent grouping of several candles on a counter top. No doubt that this was the ceremonial set, Florentino thought. As they approached the counter, Russo and his men emerged from the darkness.

"Giacomo Florentino...do you know why you are here?" Russo asked. Florentino nodded.

"I do, Don Russo." Florentino answered. Russo pulled a black cloth off of the counter, revealing a dagger and a pistol. Florentino sat down at the counter, then looked up at the Don. "Before we begin, Don Russo, I have but one thing to say. I have learned a great deal under your tutelage, but I feel there is a great deal more for me and this organization than what you can offer. It's nothing personal, you understand..." Florentino trailed off as Russo's face froze into a mask of anger. Before he could react, the two capos standing behind Florentino drew silenced pistols and shot Russo's escorts dead instantly. Florentino took the dagger and pricked his finger, then spoke the vows required of him while the two capos held Russo at gunpoint. Florentino stood up and took a pistol from the capo.

"You fuck! You think you can take me over? You think you can do my fucking job?" Russo yelled. Florentino pistol-whipped him over the head and sent the Don to his knees. "I brought you into this business! I would've given you the world! If that had not been enough, I would've given you even more! You have no right!"

"Like I said, it's nothing personal..." Florentino said coldly as he aimed the pistol. One shot and the Don fell dead to the floor alongside his two escorts. Florentino handed the weapon back to the capo and spoke to them.

"Alright, gentlemen...tonight, a new era has begun." Florentino said, turning to Bertone who was huddled up in a corner. "Bertone, I like to think I know you well. You were perhaps the only good thing to come out of the Russo family leadership. I'm not going to kill you, in case you're wondering. I want to offer you a job...serve as my consigliere, just as you did for the now former Don." Bertone thought for a few moments before nodding his assent, unsure if he did it for the employment prospect or just to save his own ass. "Good, good. You're a reasonable man, Bertone. I knew you'd see your way clear." Florentino turned back to his capos.

"Gentlemen...take these bodies and put them in the trunk of the Mercedes. Get the car out of here and torch it." Florentino said, motioning to the bodies. Like clockwork, the two capos each picked up the escorts' bodies before returning to collect the former Don. "Bertone..." Florentino said, taking the keys to the Mercedes from the Don's pocket as he passed, "drive the car. Make sure personally that this is done." Florentino tossed the keys to Bertone who followed the capos out the door. Meanwhile, Florentino retreated to his office.

A sudden explosion rocked the house; Florentino raced to the front window from his office and looked outside. The Mercedes and the Cadillac had both exploded! A huge fireball consumed both cars and the men inside them. "FUCK!" Florentino yelled, nearly pulling his hair out as he watched the rolling fire. He didn't notice the man sitting behind him at his own desk...

"Florentino." the man spoke calmly. Florentino spun around, going for his gun. "You're unarmed...your pistol is on the counter top in there." The bald man, clad in a dark suit and red tie, aimed a silenced pistol at him.

47 sat at Florentino's desk, having gained his attention. He ordered Florentino to sit down in front of him. "I told you to leave her alone. I warned you...twice. Once when I eliminated your hit squad, the other when I sent you the package. You should've listened." Florentino suddenly became angry.

"Oh, so my bitch sent you here...I wonder where the fuck she got the money for you. Probably whoring her little ass out, no doubt. She must've worked some overtime to get you...or maybe she worked you over real good and asked a favor?" Florentino said angrily, but smugly. 47 didn't take the bait.

"Let's just say that when I found out what you did to her and what kind of man you are, I took the job _gratis_." 47 said coldly. "You must not have a very good reputation with women, Florentino. Didn't you stop to think about why Carmella and the kids aren't here tonight?" Florentino squirmed in his seat. "Yesterday, she left you for good. She also sold you right into my hands, Florentino. I offered her some cash to leave you and deliver you right to me...and she did. Personally, I think she would've given you up for nothing though..."

"THAT FUCKING BITCH!" Florentino screamed, slamming his fist on the desktop. 47 raised his pistol as he stood up. Silently, 47 crossed to the other side and aimed the pistol at Florentino's head. "I have friends, powerful friends! Kill me, go ahead...you won't live to see another sunrise when you're found out."

"That's exactly what Gallo said about you...and he was wrong as well. Yours is a passing that shall not be mourned." 47 said coldly. 47 pulled the trigger, the bullet ripping through Florentino's skull and splattering his brains on the floor behind him. Seconds later, the silent assassin disappeared, leaving Florentino's dead body behind on the chair where he sat against the backdrop of the burning wreckage outside.

_Two days later...Minneapolis, Minnesota_

Carmella Florentino, along with her two girls, decided to leave the state entirely and made their way into Minneapolis. They were staying at a hotel while she tried to make a decision as to what to do about the situation regarding her husband. Her phone beeped with a message from the unknown caller three days prior.

_I see you've made your way to Minneapolis. Very good. The balance of the money is at the Mall of America. Macy's, second floor, women's dressing room. Room #3, remove the mirror from the wall and you'll find the case. Buy the girls something nice. Delete this message after you've read it._

Carmella read the message and deleted it as instructed. "Girls...come on! Let's go to the mall and get you something nice!" Carmella called. Her daughters immediately pepped up and they all headed to the car to get to the mall...

From his hotel room (the Drake and not some roadside trap, 47 had firmly decided), 47 logged in to his laptop to find Diana online.

"Diana, what news on the Florentino job?" 47 asked.

"Please wait...linking up to news feed." Diana said. Her text window was replaced by a video feed of the local news.

_Tonight's headline...local businessman and alleged mobster Giacomo Florentino was found dead in his home today after what authorities are calling a mob hit gone wrong. In addition to Florentino, two cars were found incinerated after an explosion in the home's driveway. Six as yet unidentified bodies were found in the cars, though one is believed to be John Russo, the leader of the well known Russo Syndicate, a prominent crime family here in Chicago. The bodies are in the custody of the state medical examiner and authorities hope to have all identified soon. Police and federal investigators believe the scene was a staged hit in the guise of a 'made man' ceremony where Florentino was believed to be inducted and that a betrayal may have taken place. Police also believe that Florentino's wife and children may have left town and did not bear witness to this tragedy. More on this as it becomes available..._

The video stream cut off and went back to Diana.

"There you are...the job was a success as always. It's too bad this wasn't a contract, or we could pay you." Diana said.

"It's alright, Diana. It was for a friend." 47 said. "I hope this will help her realize that the path she's on is not a viable one."

"It's difficult to say, 47. I take it you're heading back to wine country now?" Diana asked.

"Yeah. I'll let my friends know that they're safe to return home." 47 said.

It was the morning at the vineyard and Nika was awakening with the sunrise. As she arose from the bed, she felt the same heaviness in the air that she'd felt two nights ago. Without even looking for him, she could feel his presence in the room.

"You've come back..." Nika said. Agent 47 stepped out into Nika's view and stood in front of her. "One day, you'll have to come in here like everyone else...through the front door."

"Who says I didn't?" 47 asked, a slight hint of smugness in his voice. Nika stood up and came over to him.

"Touche. I heard on the news about that mob guy in Illinois getting it. Your handiwork?" Nika asked. 47 nodded at her.

"Allison's ex-boyfriend...he's dead and gone now. No one else in that syndicate knows of Allison's existence. She's free now..." 47 said. Nika smiled up at him.

"That's two girls you've freed from miserable existences..." Nika said wistfully.

"Three...Carmella Florentino, widow of the guy that I just hit. I called her just after she'd left home after a spat with her husband; I gave her $100,000 dollars to get her girls and get as far away from the house as possible." 47 said. Nika smiled at him.

"That's very sweet of you, 47." Nika said, hugging him. "I think I'm sensing a theme here, damsels in distress? Throw 'em in the back of your car, ride into the sunset and save the day?" she said with a grin. 47 smiled back at her.

"No, no...the back of my car is reserved especially for you, Nika." 47 said jokingly. "So how's everyone? Is Allison doing alright?"

"She hasn't wasted any time on the rebound, as they say. If what I heard last night and what my security guys overheard on night watch is anything to go by, I'd say she and Mr. Clarke had a marvelous evening together." 47 gave her a surprised expression.

"They're soul mates...they always were. I've no idea why they split up in college, but they were meant for each other. Just like John and Claire..." 47 said, looking off in the distance. "I could see that in their eyes since that day in 1984."

"So, John and Claire...then Andy and Allison were together. There were only five of you there that day?" Nika asked, earning a nod from 47 as she continued. "Where did that leave you then?" 47 looked back at her.

"That day, I was never sure...I felt like I had gained four new friends, but I also felt like the fifth wheel at times. I wasn't allowed to date, but many times I wanted to...but that part of my life got cut rather short. I was selected for training, and that was it for that..." 47 said.

"So, your employers just kidnapped you, away from your family and everything? They forced this on you?" Nika asked sadly.

"In a manner of speaking...all my life, I had this feeling like I was inferior. Inferior to my peers, my family, like I was good, but not good enough. When I was taken for the training, I finally found something I excelled in. The physical, mental aspects, combat and stealth, weaponry and techniques...I was the top of my class in everything. When I received my first pair of Silverballers, it was like winning first place for the first time in my life." 47 said, Nika staring at him with sad eyes.

"And the killing?" Nika asked. 47 looked at her with a solemn countenance.

"Even assassins don't take that lightly, Nika. That was a part of my training, the ability to kill without hesitation or fear...but I also learned to avoid it when possible. No innocent bystanders, no notoriety, low collateral damage. It isn't easy to kill someone...but it's one of those things that gets easier the more you do it." 47 said coldly.

"So you can just kill anyone? No regrets, no sadness?" Nika asked.

"No...I've killed many people over the years, but I'm not the kind of man who will kill anyone simply because someone with money recruits me. The people I've killed have been criminals, the morally bankrupt...it doesn't justify what I do or make a wrong right. It prevents future wrongs." 47 said. Nika came over and hugged him again.

"That's where I'm torn about you, 47...I know you're a professional assassin. I don't like it that you do that for a living, but I would also be dead now if you weren't who you are." Nika said, looking up at him with a tear staining her dragon tattoo. 47 gently wiped the tear away and caressed her cheek, much like on the train back in Turkey.

"God works in mysterious ways, Nika...it's not for us to know." 47 said calmly.

"I suppose he does...he sent you ahead of us to protect us from the danger that we were all facing. But where do you go from here?" Nika asked. 47 walked across the room a few steps and looked out the window.

"I'm coming to the end of it, Nika...before I returned to Shermer to see my old friends, I'd made the decision to retire. The last job in Chicago for the agency was the last job." 47 said, looking back at Nika. "I met my friends all over again, with the exception of Allison at first...and I felt like I was back to my old self again. Like time had stood still, waiting on me...but then I was thrust back into the profession when Allison's boyfriend sent a hit squad for her. My worlds collided and now they're all mixed together."

"Is it something you blame her for?" Nika asked, referring to Allison. 47 shook his head.

"Not at all...I believe I came back when I did because of the danger she was in. I was meant to meet them again at that point in time. But now that those two parts of me have collided like that, I don't know where one ends and the other begins; I tried to be so careful to keep them separated, but the fact that they're here with you means otherwise. When I made the decision to retire, in my mind I was no longer 47...I was Brian Johnson again. To keep them safe and alive, I had to go back to that part of myself. I'm not sure I can go back now..." 47 said.

"You can be whoever you want to be, Brian...with them, and with me. For a time, they needed the hitman, just like I did in Russia...and you came through for them, as a friend would. But now, they need the friend. Maybe we should all sit down and talk?" Nika said.

"Perhaps..." 47 trailed off. "It's very early and they're not even out of bed yet anyway. How about dinner arrangements?"

"Dinner sounds good, I'll let them know you're coming..." Nika said, looking over at him. "Are you staying until then?"

"No...I've got some arrangements of my own to make. I'll be back tonight." 47 said. Nika smiled over at him before turning back away from him.

"One day, you're going to have to show me how you disappear like that..." Nika said. She felt a slight breeze blow in and turned back around. True to form, 47 had disappeared, the only sign of his presence being the french balcony doors he'd left open...

Back in his car, 47 contacted Diana via his laptop.

"47, it's good to hear from you again. What news?" Diana asked, the words appearing on the laptop screen as she spoke.

"My friends are alright...I'm going to sit down with them tonight and let them know what's transpired. I've also got something to tell you, Diana..." 47 said, trailing off.

"I believe I may know what it is, but do go ahead..." Diana replied.

"As of today, I wish to retire as an active agent...I've come to the end of the road." 47 said. Diana sighed audibly before her reply.

"That's what I thought you were going to say...those are the words I've been dreading for a while now. I can't say that I blame you. You've had a rough go of the last few years with the Belicoff fiasco; I'm surprised you didn't retire then, to be honest." Diana replied.

"I had considered it back then, but I felt like I still had more to do, like getting the contracts on Nika and myself rescinded, get them to stop hunting her. Helping you get installed as head of the agency was icing on the cake." 47 said. Diana laughed a little bit.

"I always said friends were a liability in the business...but I didn't think your friends would affect my business so directly. You're my best agent, 47, and I hate to see you go. If I can't keep you as an agent...if I can pull a few strings, do you think you'd be interested in an executive position with the agency?" Diana asked hopefully.

"Possibly...I'd like to have some downtime first though. I'll think about it." 47 said.

"I understand, 47...as of now, you're officially retired with my blessings. I hope you find happiness wherever you happen to go." Diana said wistfully, saddened at the departure of her favorite agent. "You know, as long as we've been 'partners' of sorts, I've never known your real name, if you have one..."

"My name's Brian...do you have a real name, or is it Diana?" 47 asked.

"My real name is Elizabeth...I've used the name Diana so much over the years that I practically answer to it more than my own name. You can call me whichever you prefer." Diana, aka Elizabeth, said.

"I'll try Elizabeth on for a while, see how it works. I'll be in contact soon..." 47 said, terminating the call and shutting down the laptop. 47 drove away down the street and went to the park to clear his mind before dinner.

Nika went around to the bedrooms to wake everyone up, knocking on the doors and telling everyone to meet her downstairs in the living room as soon as possible. While Nika waited downstairs, Andy and Allison were the first to make it down followed by John and Claire. Everyone sat down around Nika as she began to speak.

"Guys, I have some news for you...47...err, Brian..." Nika said, catching herself and smiling at Claire as she continued. "Brian came here this morning and has some news for you guys. He'll be back here at dinner time to tell you personally. He wanted me to let you guys know that you're safe to return home anytime." Everyone looked at each other in astonishment.

"So, Giacomo is dead...and all those goons that were after me?" Allison asked in a hushed tone. Nika looked at her and nodded.

"If the news is anything to go by, he eliminated that entire syndicate in one fell swoop." Nika said. "The authorities believe it was a mob betrayal that lead to the demise of all involved there, including the Don and Giacomo himself."

"Where's Brian at now?" Claire asked.

"I don't know...he left again and I haven't heard from him since. He said he had some arrangements to make before he met with you guys again." Nika said.

Dinner time rolled around and everyone sat at the table waiting for 47 to arrive.

"Are you sure he's coming back, Nika?" Bender asked.

"He said that he was...and he's a man of his word." Nika replied. Her confidence was soon rewarded when her intercom buzzed.

"Yes?" Nika answered into the speaker.

"Miss Petrovsky...there's a gentleman at the gate to see you. He says he's an 'old friend' of yours and the ones you've taken in recently. Brian Johnson is his name; his identification checks out alright. Permission to admit him?" Stephen asked.

"Yes, let him in...he's a friend." Nika said. A minute later, the doorbell rang and Nika ran to answer it. At the front door was none other than her hitman. "You're here..."

"Yes...I'm back...for good this time." 47 said with a smile as he stepped inside and kissed Nika squarely on the lips. As the kiss broke, Nika found herself suddenly reeling from this inexplicable display of affection. They looked up and saw the Breakfast Club standing right in front of them, grins and surprised expressions plastered all over their faces.

"Well, big Bri...it only took you 30 years, but I think you've finally found yourself a girl." Bender said, applauding him.

"Dinner's getting cold...we should get to eating and Brian can tell us all about what's been going on lately." Nika said, leading 47 by the hand into the dining room. Everyone sat down and almost everyone looked instantaneously at 47.

"Alright, so I guess that Nika's had you guys on pins and needles waiting for me..." 47 said, looking playfully at Nika. "There is no longer a threat to any of us here anymore...you're all safe to go back home now. Neither Florentino nor the syndicate he was associated with are of any consequence. With that said, I have another announcement to make as it relates to me personally." 47 said, taking a breath for the long diatribe ahead.

"As of today, I am no longer an assassin. I've retired...and I would like to go back to being just Brian instead of '47'. That is, if you guys will take me back?" Brian, formerly known as 47, asked. Claire stood up and held up her wine glass.

"Brian, you say that as though we disowned you in the first place...you've our friend and you always will be. Your profession is not of consequence to us." Claire said. The rest of the group looked over at him and held up their glasses in a toast, Bender and Andy making a 'hear-hear'. Allison was the next to stand up.

"I have something to say to everyone here...first, to Brian. Brian, you saved my life these last few days...and I can't even begin to thank you enough. I know now that I endangered all of your lives by coming to you with the mob on my tail, but Brian, you took me in hand and saved me from them. Up until then, I'd been wasting my life and at times, I wanted nothing more than to die. But you gave me another chance...and I want you to know that I won't waste it. You and Andy...all of you really...showed me that I have something to live for." Allison said, looking down at Andy and smiling. As she sat back down, Claire stood up to speak next.

"Brian...I have a lot to apologize for and I hope you'll accept my apologies. I realize that the way I reacted to you was completely out of line and that you did what you knew you had to do to protect all of us from those guys. You did what you needed to do so that we could have our lives back...and you did so willingly as a true friend would. I should've been grateful for that instead of being so judgmental. For all of that, I apologize and I hope you can forgive me." Claire said as Brian stood up and crossed the room to hug her.

"No apology necessary..." Brian said. "I'm just happy that you're all safe and alive." As the two sat back down, Bender and Andy both stood up.

"Well, this has been kind of a whirlwind reunion, Brian. One minute we're hanging out like old times and the next, we're being pursued by the Chicago mob while you're holding them off. Like the others, I'm grateful to you for saving our lives...and for giving Allison and I another chance." Andy said, taking Allison by the hand and leading her to her feet. Andy then took a knee in front of her as Claire and Nika covered their mouths in awe. "Allison, these last few days have been a real eye opener to me. When you came back into our lives two days ago, it felt like a piece of me had been put back into place, a place that only you can fill. When I realized the possibility of losing you again, it made my blood run ice cold. I never want to feel that feeling again...and I don't want to ever let you go again. With all of that said, and although I don't have a ring to offer you just now, Allison Reynolds...will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Andy proposed, leaving everyone on pins and needles as the girls broke into tears at the scene, particularly Allison.

"Andy...that...that's...all I ever wanted...yes! YES!" Allison blurted, pulling Andy up from the floor and kissing him hard and deeply as everyone stood up and applauded. The new happy couple sat down and Bender remained standing.

"Well, some might say they save the best for last..." Bender said, the others laughing at the quip. "Sadly, that's not the case right now. I'll agree with Sporto that this has been a whirlwind reunion. Now that you're retired from being a hitman, we can all hang out like we used to. Like the others, I want to thank you for saving our lives. I'm not so good at the speeches, so I'll leave it there..." Bender said, sitting back down again. Brian was the last to stand up.

"Guys...even though we were only able to be together for that short time in 1984, I want you guys to know that you made it all worthwhile. Those few months were the best times in my life and I'll never forget what all of you meant to me. What I did for you guys is no different than what any of you would've done for me if the roles were reversed; you guys mean the world to me and I would do anything for any of you." Brian said, some emotion breaking into his voice. For the first time since 1984, Brian Johnson was back home...and he couldn't be happier about it...

EPILOGUE – Two Months Later...

Over the past two months, Nika, Claire and Allison worked furiously to plan Allison's wedding; the event was to be held in Nika's vineyard with a private clearing set up in the grapevines to be used as the ceremonial spot. Santino would cater the affair with the reception to be held in the villa afterward. All of the men would wear black suits with red ties while the bridesmaids wore bright red dresses. Brian and Nika were selected as a groomsman and bridesmaid, respectively while Bender stood as Andy's best man and Claire as Allison's maid of honor. Brian had their families flown in to Napa Valley and paid for their hotel stays personally.

Several rows of white chairs surrounded the aisle and up front underneath an archway stood the minister and Andy. Andy was clearly nervous and anxious as the musicians began to play the entrance music. Brian and Nika entered first, arm in arm as they walked slowly up the aisle. Bender and Claire followed closely behind. Both couples parted and stood at their respective posts; Bender gave Andy a quick nudge to encourage him as the music went silent. A few seconds later, the bridal entrance music hit and everyone stood as Allison emerged from behind the grapevines and onto the entrance aisle. Andy's heart jumped into his throat and pounded hard in his ears.

"God...so beautiful." Andy whispered to himself. Bender and Brian nodded as Allison made her way up the aisle. With each passing step, Andy never took his eyes off of his bride, the pounding in his heart growing louder and louder. She stepped under the archway and stood by Andy's side. The minister gave a speech about the vows of marriage before prompting them to speak their vows. As the couple spoke to one another, Brian looked over at Nika who was looking right back at him. He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a small box, lifting the lid slightly with a smile on his face. As Nika's mouth dropped open, he closed the lid and slipped the box back into his pocket. He mouthed the word 'soon' as they turned their attention back to the happy couple.

"With the power vested to me by God and the state of California...I now pronounce you man and wife. Andrew, you may now kiss your bride." the minister said. Andy lifted Allison's white veil, leaned in and gave her her first kiss as Mrs. Clarke. As they kissed, both Brian and Nika watched and looked at each other...


End file.
